TRENTON, N.J. — After two tell-all books, tawdry sex claims and 3 1/2 years of living apart, New Jersey's gay ex-governor and his estranged wife showed up for court Tuesday morning to begin the process of ending their marriage.

"It's a beautiful day," former Gov. Jim McGreevey said as he entered alone through the back entrance of the courthouse.

Dina Matos McGreevey had no comment when she arrived with her lawyer through the front courthouse entrance.

The first three days of the trial will be closed to the media as Union County Superior Court Judge Karen Cassidy considers custody issues surrounding the couple's 6-year-old daughter. The judge has sealed documents and testimony about the kindergartner, their only child.

McGreevey and his wife have been going at each other publicly for months about everything from his partner's financial assets to their daughter's birthday party.

The issues to be decided in the divorce settlement involve custody, alimony and child support, and whether McGreevey, now openly gay, committed fraud by marrying a woman.

Matos McGreevey, 41, is seeking $600,000 for time she would have spent at the governor's mansion had her husband not resigned in disgrace. McGreevey stepped down during his first term after a nationally televised speech in which he acknowledged being "a gay American" and having an affair with a male staffer. The staffer has denied the affair and said he was sexually harassed by McGreevey.

Since his resignation in the fall of 2004, both he and his soon-to-be-ex wrote books about their time together, including their sex lives. She claims she never knew he was gay until just before he told the rest of the world. He claims their marriage was "a contrivance on both our parts," but that he fulfilled the marriage contract by providing companionship and a child.

The most sensational witness could be Teddy Pedersen, a 29-year-old former aide who claims he had regular three-way sexual encounters with the McGreeveys beginning when they were dating in 1999 and ending two years later, after they were married and McGreevey had been elected governor.

John Post, a lawyer representing Matos McGreevey, is seeking to bar Pedersen's testimony. Matos McGreevey claims the encounters never happened. McGreevey says they did.

McGreevey, 50, who now lives with a male partner and is studying to be an Episcopal priest, wants joint physical and legal custody of their daughter. He currently has the child one night a week and every other weekend.

Child support payments will depend on custody arrangements, lawyers have said.

That just as good as the Republican party still trying to come out of the Bathroom stalls looking for toliet paper/or was it those closets ??

Really, I think the only person I feel sorry for is their 6 y/o daughter. That's sad.

What does the McGreevey divorce have to do with the Democratic party?? My guess would be the number of gay men who've lived their lives in the closet before finally coming out -- or being forced out -- would be pretty equally divided along political demographics.

For every Jim McGreevey, there's a Mark Foley.

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For every Jim McGreevey, there's a Mark Foley.

Or an Eliot Spitzer.
Both having unsafe relations and then playing hide the salami with the misses sad state of affairs.

Dam Demcorats http://dkosopedia.com/wiki/Republican_Sex_Scandals

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Originally posted by tcbrewu:
Dam Demcorats http://dkosopedia.com/wiki/Republican_Sex_Scandals

You can't be serious in presenting the Daily Kos as an objective source for "Republican sex scandals," can you? Their definition of sex scandal seems awfully loose - say what will about him, but Rush Limbaugh's three divorces and struggles with addiction hardly qualifies as a "sex scandal" in the eyes of most reasonable people.

If drug use qualifies as a sex scandal - then I suppose Mr. Obama is equally as "guilty". . .

This message has been edited. Last edited by: lawstudent10,

Okay! One more voice of reason is heard on our little board! Keep 'em coming.

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Really, I think the only person I feel sorry for is their 6 y/o daughter. That's sad.

I agree completely with you Presley.

JackWhite hit this square on the head, I am sure it cuts across political boundries. Remember the grief they gave the Log Cabin Republicans. there is no straight or gay way to pave streets, remove snow or cut taxes!

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Originally posted by SAXON9075:
There is no straight or gay way to pave streets, remove snow or cut taxes!

Amen, Brother.

As much as I oppose all things Democrat, the situation with the McGreeveys has -0- to do with politics and everything to do with unnatural behavior.

Kennedy-Obama-Wright... Now there's a trio who should be running the country.

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Originally posted by lawstudent10:

quote:

Originally posted by tcbrewu:
Dam Demcorats http://dkosopedia.com/wiki/Republican_Sex_Scandals

You can't be serious in presenting the Daily Kos as an objective source for "Republican sex scandals," can you? Their definition of sex scandal seems awfully loose - say what will about him, but Rush Limbaugh's three divorces and struggles with addiction hardly qualifies as a "sex scandal" in the eyes of most reasonable people.

If drug use qualifies as a sex scandal - then I suppose Mr. Obama is equally as "guilty". . .

I don't see where anyone stated they thought that the Daily Koz was objective. Injecting information into the marketplace of ideas and letting the public decide what they believe or not is what it is all about. Just because YOU don't believe it is objective matters not.