Wife's Lawyer: McGreevey Failed to Cash In on Fame  | News | Advocate.com

||  News  ||
 
May 21, 2008
Wife's Lawyer: McGreevey Failed to Cash In on Fame

The nation's first openly gay governor could have become a talk show host, pursued a movie deal, or otherwise cashed in on his fame after a sex scandal forced him from office, a lawyer for his estranged wife argued Monday.

John Post, who represents Dina Matos McGreevey, is trying to convince the judge in the couple's divorce case that former New Jersey governor James McGreevey has underestimated his earning potential and net worth to avoid paying alimony to his soon-to-be ex-wife.

McGreevey's lawyer, Stephen Haller, has tried to show that his client, now an Episcopal seminary student, is too poor to pay. The 50-year-old former governor has testified that he does not want to pursue high-profile jobs because he wants to quietly get on with his life.

Lawyers for the McGreeveys repeatedly clashed over money matters Monday as the judge tried to untangle the couple's assets and debts.

The McGreeveys have been separated since he left office in November 2004, three months after he said he had an affair with a male staffer and planned to resign. The staffer denies he had an affair with McGreevey and accused him of sexual harassment.

The couple have agreed on custody of their only child, a 6-year-old girl, but are far apart on how much money Matos McGreevey should receive, if she receives any. She claims she should be compensated for the 13 months she would have lived in the governor's mansion had her husband not resigned.

An accountant hired by McGreevey said it would cost $15,000 a month for the governor and his wife to live like they did at the governor's mansion; an expert hired by Matos McGreevey said it would cost $51,000 a month.

The two sides also clashed over the cachet of the McGreevey name.

The former governor's expert, Sharyn Maggio, testified that neither McGreevey nor his wife could expect to enhance their earnings based on the fame they achieved from his resignation -- or their divorce, which has been televised on Court TV.

''Charles Manson was famous,'' Maggio testified. ''That doesn't equate to celebrity in the financial sense.''

An employment expert testified last week that McGreevey's political fall rendered him ''radioactive'' in the professional world.

However, his wife's expert claims McGreevey could earn $1.4 million in his lifetime because of the celebrity status attached to his name.

During cross-examination, Post tried to poke holes in Maggio's testimony by showing that her earnings and lifestyle estimates were based on information provided only by McGreevey.

The McGreeveys maintained separate finances, Post argued, so basing calculations only on the governor's checking and tax information rendered Maggio's conclusions inaccurate. Matos McGreevey used the bulk of her salary as a hospital executive to buy clothes and food for herself and the couple's daughter, her lawyer said.

Besides alimony, Matos McGreevey, 41, is also asking the court to award her damages based on the contention that McGreevey committed marriage fraud. She claims she was duped into marriage by a gay man who needed the cover of a wife to advance his political career.

McGreevey counters that his wife, whom he married in 2000, should have known he was gay.

The former governor was to take the stand when the trial resumes Wednesday. (Angela Delli Santi, AP) 

Related stories from Advocate.com
© 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

  • Name: Harry Matthews
    Date posted: 2008-05-23 2:50 AM
    Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

    Comment:

    I am pleased that the McGreeveys have reached terms in the matter of their daughter's custody. The 6-year-old should not be a chattel in her parents' quarrel. The rest of their case is obviously motivated by pure greed and nothing else; both parties disgust me. (McGreevey may be a student, but he's living with his very affluent boyfriend in a posh suburb; Matos McGreevey has also found a home with a wealthy companion.) In the context of same-sex marriage debate -- and I think it's high time gay relationships were recognized -- let's note that gay divorce is sure to follow, with all its ugliness. As Emerson put it, "Beware what you set your heart upon, for you shall surely have it."


  • Name: Michael
    Date posted: 2008-05-20 9:24 PM
    Hometown: Monroe Township, New Jersey

    Comment:

    As a gay man my heart goes to Jim for what it must have been like to live in the closet so long. Consequently, that closet must have had no air, cutting off the oxygen to his brain. This woman is the mother - MOTHER of his child. He used her and the mother of his eldest daughter. What a low life, to say she should have known. He used her plain and simple, it's abusive and now he can not be man enough to stand up, say he made a mistake... pay her retribution and move on. Typical politician grabbing for anything to stay afloat and strategically trying to deny her something for the anguish he caused. Dina is not asking for more than any woman to be righted by a man that wronged her and she probably is only asking for so much money because she knows the court will half it anyway in the end. Young gay men out there... look at Jim McGreevey as a tragic figure, a poor role model for how a man should treat a woman and do everything the opposite you see him doing.


  • Name: Brad
    Date posted: 2008-05-20 3:24 PM
    Hometown: Oak Park, IL

    Comment:

    It doesn't surprise me that Dina is at once suing for 'fraud' due to his being gay, and then turning around and saying he should have used his 'gayness' to make more money to give to her. What a hypocrite. Just get on with your lives and start worrying about the welfare of the child instead of trying to suck as much money out of the situation. Makes me glad to be gay and never have to deal with an ex like that.


  • Name: Cole Conroy
    Date posted: 2008-05-20 2:18 PM
    Hometown: Nashville TN

    Comment:

    It seems like Mrs. McGreevey is just trying to suck as much out of the ex-guv's wallet as she can. Her and the kids are entitled to justifiable support and compensation but for her to try and dictate what his career vchoice should be after they've divorced is really just an over reach. Cole Conroy


  • Name: Bob Arlia
    Date posted: 2008-05-20 1:47 PM
    Hometown: Pittsburgh PA

    Comment:

    Nothing that comes out of the mouth of attornies or politicians surprises me. So, the "out" community is supposed to feel sorry for a closeted queen who decieved EVERYONE including himself? It's no big surprise, either, that he hides behind organized religion. There's always a big price to pay for hypocrisy. Pay up and shut up LOOSER.


Back to top

Submit a comment for this story:

*Type your comment here (Required, 1000 characters max.):

*Name (Required): 

*Hometown (Required): 

*E-mail address: (Required, but will not be displayed)

Is this comment for publication? 
Yes   No

Daytime phone number: (Required for print publication only and will not be displayed)

Please enter the words you see in the box, in order and separated by a space. Doing so helps prevent automated programs from abusing this service.

  

If you would like to submit a comment for posting, please fill out the form above. 

All comments submitted via this form are subject to posting or publication. (To send a private letter to an Advocate editor or writer, please use the e-mail button at the top of the page, or use snail mail.) If you would like your comment considered for publication in The Advocate magazine, please include your full name, your city of residence, and a phone number where you can be reached during business hours so that we can confirm your identity. Your e-mail address and telephone number are strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for any purpose other than to contact you about your comment.

Comments that do not concern specific articles in The Advocate or on Advocate.com will not be posted or published. See the Contact page for sending comments for reasons other than responding to Advocate editorial and news stories.

Please note that comments sent by fax or snail mail are unlikely to be posted, although they will be considered for publication along with all letters received via e-mail or via this Web page. Comments that chiefly concern Advocate.com content will be considered for posting only on the Web site. The Advocate reserves the right to edit submitted comments for grammar, spelling, obscenities, or libel; we will, however, do our best to preserve the original comment's style and intent. Comments considered for publication in The Advocate magazine may also be edited for length.

More Exclusives
  • Messing Around Again
    Forget Grace Adler (for a minute). Suddenly, Debra Messing wants to become everybody’s favorite desperate ex-housewife with her big return to the small screen in The Starter Wife.
  • On Gay Marriage: A Letter From a GOP Mom Re: Sarah Palin
    A registered Republican from the swing state of Ohio has a few questions for Sarah Palin and John McCain on the heels of Palin's vice-presidential debate. Specifically, Kim Peters wants to know: Just how "tolerant" would a McCain White House be of Peters's lesbian daughter?
  • GLBT History Month: 31 Days, 31 Heroes
    October is GLBT History Month, a national celebration of queer culture through the ages. To remind people of our achievements, the Equality Forum has honored a hero for every day of the month. Who made the list?
  • Kristofer Eisenla Does the DNC
    Long before Kristofer Eisenla became deputy chief of staff and communications director for U.S. representative Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), he campaigned for Clinton marching around the living room of his staunchly Republican grandparents' home with a sign he'd crafted himself. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine 16 years later he'd be so actively involved in the planning of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.
  • Russian Officials Shut Down Country's First LGBT Film Fest
    Side by Side was supposed to be Russia's first LGBT film festival, but on October 2, just hours before the scheduled premiere, organizers were met by officials blocking the entrance to the venue, claiming fire code violations—an excuse they say Russian authorities have used since the early '90s as a pretext for shutting down events as they see fit.
  • Memories of Coming Out: Day 3
    On October 11 millions of openly gay Americans will reflect on the day they took those brave first steps out of the closet, providing support and encouragement to others who have yet to find their voice. On the third day of our coming-out series, speaker and lecturer Donna Rose, filmmaker and GroundSpark executive director Debra Chasnoff, and entertainment publicist Len Evans share their coming-out stories.
  • Hilary Duff Wants You to Stop Saying 'That's So Gay'
    “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.” “Only you can prevent forest fires.” Since the 1940s the Ad Council has been impacting the culture with slogans like these. Now the venerable nonprofit organization is out to educate teens that antigay slang doesn’t cut it anymore -- and to kick-start the effort, it's recruited Hilary Duff.
  • Jared Polis: Post-Gay Candidate?
    This is the third article in The Advocate's continuing coverage of four battleground states: Colorado, Florida, Virginia, and Ohio. Entrepreneur and philanthropist Jared Polis is set to make history by becoming the first openly gay non-incumbent male elected to the U.S. Congress, but the milestone has failed to send shock waves through his Colorado district. Some think that could represent the greatest progress of all.
  • Memories of Coming Out: Day 2
    On October 11 millions of openly gay Americans will reflect on the day they took those brave first steps out of the closet, providing support and encouragement to others who have yet to find their voice. On the second day of our coming-out series, Brooke Knows Best star Glenn Douglas Packard (pictured), SAGE executive director Michael Adams, and Family Equality Council executive director Jennifer Chrisler share their coming-out stories.
  • Pat Steadman Fights to Turn Colorado Blue
    Since Colorado’s Amendment 2 changed the state constitution to prohibit new laws to protect lesbians and gays from discrimination in 1992, LGBT activist Pat Steadman has been at the forefront of Colorado's equal rights battle. Now, for the first time since that year, Colorado looks like it could well swing Democrat in November's election, thanks in large part to the work of Steadman and Equal Rights Colorado.
  • Yes Takes No: The Firestorm Over Prop 8
    We thought we were winning. Until a few days ago, California’s proposed anti-gay constitutional amendment, Proposition 8, was lagging in the polls. Now they're ahead. What happened? Money, an effective ad campaign, and a passionate voter base willing to stop at nothing to get their point across: In their minds, gay marriage is simply wrong.
  • Memories of Coming Out
    On October 11 millions of openly gay Americans will reflect on the day they took those brave first steps out of the closet, providing support and encouragement to others who have yet to find their voice. In day one of our series on coming out, Lair star David Moretti (pictured), Big Brother's Marcellas Reynolds, and New York LGBT Community Center executive director Richard D. Burns share their stories.
  • Remembering Matthew
    Ten years after his brutal murder, those who knew him best -- and those who learned of him only at the end -- remember that week in October and reflect on the legacy of Matthew Shepard.
  • Gay Days at Disneyland: Part Celebration, Part Fiasco
    For 11 years, gays and lesbians wearing red shirts have descended on Disneyland for Gay Days, an event that forces mainstream Americans to deal with us face to face. And while just-married same-sex couples urging park visitors to vote no on Prop. 8 put a positive political face on the weekend's festivities, the event too often showed the gay community at its worst: drunk, sometimes naked, and acting completely inappropriate for the families looking on.
  • The Advocate's Big Four Report: Colorado
    The Advocate is profiling four battleground states this month -- Colorado, Florida, Virginia, and Ohio -- all of which went red in 2004. Today's story is the first of four pieces focusing on the Rocky Mountain State's political dynamics, LGBT concerns, and how it will all play out on Election Day.
  • Biden, Palin Debate Same-Sex Marriage
    As Alaska governor Sarah Palin and Delaware senator Joe Biden sparred over same-sex unions in their first and only debate Thursday night, one thing was clear: They both oppose gay marriage. But when Biden delved deeper into equal rights and protections for gay couples, Palin didn't take the bait.
  • The Force That Is Patti LuPone
    For Patti LuPone, the standing ovations began almost 30 years ago and have not stopped. The excitement of seeing Patti LuPone live has been thrillingly captured in Patti LuPone at Les Mouches, the never-before-released recordings from her legendary 1980 nightclub act.
  • "I Wanted to Stay Away From Pretty"
    And Kenley does just that in both word and deed on this week’s Project Runway. But darn it, Heidi and Co. have misplaced their box of consequences…