Wife of
ex-governor McGreevey felt "abandoned"

The estranged wife of the nation's first openly gay governor, New Jersey's Jim McGreevey, said in a court filing Monday that she felt ''betrayed and abandoned'' upon learning of his sexual orientation.

Dina Matos McGreevey's attorneys said in the divorce filing that learning James McGreevey was gay and cheating on her ''had an immeasurable lasting impact.''

McGreevey resigned as governor of New Jersey in 2004 after acknowledging that he was ''a gay American'' and saying he had engaged in an affair with a male aide.

In the ex-governor's divorce filing, McGreevey claims his wife ''knew of my sexual orientation before our marriage'' and ''chose to either ignore it or block it out of her mind, even when questioned by her friends.''

In response, Matos McGreevey said in court papers she ''was shocked and traumatized beyond description and she felt betrayed and abandoned by plaintiff.''

She claimed the ex-governor ''has been guilty of extreme cruelty'' toward her since their marriage and continuing up the present.

Besides fraud and intentional emotional distress, Matos McGreevey also claimed libel in the filing.

Matos McGreevey argues that her husband and his representatives last month made public claims that she was homophobic and had made antigay statements--charges she says her husband knew weren't true.

Trending stories

Here's how to watch Lady Gaga at Coachella & full livestream schedule

From Z to APT: Here's who won the 'Drag Race' S17 Lip Sync Smackdown

Robert Irwin is stripping down & rocking tiny briefs in new underwear campaign

Gerald Garth is keeping people of color happy and healthy through trying times

Elon Musk uses burner accounts on X, doesn’t fact-check: report

France becomes world’s first country to enshrine abortion rights in constitution

Lady Gaga is bringing 'Gothic dreams,' queer joy to Coachella

Broadway's best raise over $1 million for LGBTQ+ and HIV causes

French Polynesia doesn’t need Pride flags to earn its place on every LGBTQ+ bucket list

Trump's orders prompt CDC to erase HIV resources

JoJo Siwa updates pronouns on 'Celebrity Big Brother UK'

Bobby Berk reveals his favorite part about being gay: 'The sex!'

Season 4 of The Switch on resilience & radical self-love returns this spring

In 'Happy Endings with Bruno,' a 'Drag Race' stud offers a massage with a message

'Survivor' star Teeny Chirichillo comes out as trans in candid new essay

Discover the power of Wellness in your life

Out and About with Karan Soni

Broadway bound: The best hotels in NYC’s Theater District for every type of traveler

Beyond Wonderland's accepting & unifying rave culture is needed more than ever

The Charles is Pacific Grove's new LGBTQ+ hotel

How climate disasters hurt mental health in young people

All 6 rogue Mississippi cops got long prison sentences in 'Goon Squad' torture of 2 Black men

Joe Biden has tied the record for most LGBTQ+ judges confirmed in federal courts

15 lesbian coming-of-age movies that will hit you right in the feels

23 brutally funny 'Hands Off' protest signs that prove the resistance is alive & hilarious

• 0
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8

The disputes inside the marriage have gone public in recent weeks amid the divorce case and Matos McGreevey's publicizing of her new book, Silent Partner: A Memoir of My Marriage.

James McGreevey referred questions about particular accusations in the filing to his divorce attorney, but he did say that he hoped the legal dispute would be over soon.

''Our most important duty is to work to be good parents for Jacqueline,'' McGreevey said, referring to the couple's 5-year-old daughter.

The McGreeveys for now will continue to share custody of their daughter, with Matos McGreevey the primary parent. McGreevey is allowed visitation every other weekend and alternate Wednesdays.

McGreevey has been planning to join in a civil union with Mark O'Donnell, an Australian money manager with whom he lives. The vicar at St. Bartholomew's Church in New York City said last week that McGreevey has become an Episcopalian and is considering becoming a priest in that faith. (Chris Newmarker, AP)