Ex-governor, wife
settle custody dispute
Pair appear together
in public for first time
since he announced
he's gay
BY DAVID PORTER, AP
from the Nome News Online (thnt.com) April 28, 2007
ELIZABETH, NJ -- The judge
handling the divorce of the nation's first openly gay governor and his estranged
wife urged them on Friday to use "common sense" raising their daughter and
cautioned against turning the case into a further public spectacle.
Judge Karen Cassidy also called former Gov. James E. McGreevey's sexual
orientation insignificant to the case.
"I am just looking at this case with an eye on what is best for the child," she
said.
The courtroom session with McGreevey and Dina Matos McGreevey was their first
public appearance together since he resigned and told the world he was "a gay
American" more than two years ago.
Just before the hearing started, McGreevey approached his wife as she sat
between her lawyers and shook her hand. He spoke and she acknowledged him;
the encounter lasted a matter of seconds.
At the hearing, which followed a private meeting with lawyers, the judge said
the couple had agreed to continue their current visitation arrangements for
their only child, 5-year-old Jacqueline.
Matos McGreevey, who sought sole custody, remains the primary parent. The
child visits her father every other weekend, and on alternate Wednesdays from 6
p.m. to 8 p.m.
One of the most contentious issues in the divorce is what the child should be
exposed to. Matos McGreevey made McGreevey and his partner, Mark
O'Donnell, take down a nude photograph in their home, and has contended that
Jacqueline should not be allowed to sleep in her father's bed.
The judge said the McGreeveys should "use their common sense and shall not
introduce her to any non-age appropriate activities," a concept Cassidy said was
"admittedly vague."
"The court can't be your child's parent," Cassidy said. "I don't want to
micromanage your child's life."
However, the judge ruled that the child would not be permitted to sleep in the
same bed with any adult except her mother or father.
The court also appointed a parenting coordinator: a mediator used to help
resolve child-related disputes, although the judge retains the final say.
McGreevey said the parenting coordinator would "smooth out the rough edges" as
he and his estranged wife negotiate life after their pending divorce.
"The judge's actions speak to the best interests of Jacqueline, and that is a
parenting coordinator who will help both of us to be better parents and respond
to Jacqueline's needs," he said, calling the judge's comment "gracious."
Matos McGreevey left the court by a back exit without commenting on the judge's
ruling. Her lawyer, John N. Post, also declined to comment.
Both McGreeveys have written tell-all books about the marriage, which ended in
2004 when McGreevey, then governor of New Jersey, told the world he had had an
extramarital affair with a male aide. McGreevey, 49, later claimed his
former lover tried to blackmail him, and said he resigned rather than succumb to
the man's threats. The man, Golan Cipel, denies having had an affair with
McGreevey.
Matos McGreevey's memoir, "Silent Partner," hits bookstores Tuesday, the day her
appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show is scheduled to air. Her husband
launched his book on Oprah's program last September.
Meanwhile, McGreevey said he was planning to join in a civil union with
O'Donnell, an Australian money manager, but did not indicate a date.
(Emphasis Added)
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