Divorce Trial of Ex-Governor Of N.J. Expected To Be Hostile
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TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey’s former first couple is finally about to become unhitched, and it figures to be especially messy.
Jim and Dina Matos McGreevey’s divorce trial, which starts today, means the end of their 31/2-year separation that has lasted nearly as long as their marriage. The trial will feature the usual squabbles — the ex-governor wants equal custody of their 6-year-old daughter, and alimony and child support are at issue as well. But the proceedings figure to be particularly salacious because of the question everybody has asked at least once: Did she know he was gay?
Matos McGreevey, 41, claims she was duped into marriage by a closeted gay man who needed the cover of a wife to advance his political career. Mr. McGreevey says he gave her a child and the coattails she rode to the governor’s mansion, thus fulfilling the marriage contract.
Mrs. McGreevey seeks $600,000 as compensation for the time she would have lived at the governor’s mansion in Princeton had her soon-to-be-ex not resigned in disgrace. Perks enjoyed by a sitting governor’s spouse include household servants, access to a state police helicopter, and a state-owned beach house.
