New Jersey's gay governor betrayed and abandoned wife with his confessions

The estranged wife of the U.S.'s first openly gay governor said in a court filing that she felt "betrayed and abandoned" upon learning of his sexual orientation.

Photo: New Jersey's gay governor betrayed and abandoned wife with his confessions

Dina Matos McGreevey's attorneys said in the divorce filing on Monday 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 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 anti-gay statements - charges she says her husband knew weren't true.

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 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 Manhattan said last week that McGreevey has become an Episcopalian and is considering becoming a priest in that faith.