May 7, 2008 2:25 pm US/Eastern
McGreeveys Hope For Settlement As Talks Continue
Custody, Alimony, Child Support Initial Topics In Dispute
ELIZABETH, N.J. (CBS/AP) ―
Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey, the nation's first openly gay governor, is hoping talks with his estranged wife on Wednesday result in a settlement.
McGreevey and his wife, Dina Matos McGreevey, were set to resume divorce talks Wednesday afternoon on issues involving child custody.
Asked if there could be a settlement on Wednesday, McGreevey said: "God willing."
Matos McGreevey declined to comment about the case when she arrived at the courthouse a short time later with her attorney.
New Jersey's former first couple and their lawyers spent nearly seven hours Tuesday in discussions about how to dissolve their four-year marriage.
A central issue involves custody of their only child, 6-year-old Jacqueline.
He wants a 50-50 custody split, and has suggested the kindergartner spend alternate weeks with each parent. He currently sees his daughter one night a week and alternate weekends and holidays.
"If anything gets resolved (Wednesday), it's custody," McGreevey lawyer Stephen Haller said Tuesday night.
Both he and Matos McGreevey lawyer John Post said progress had been made in settlement talks Tuesday. Post would not comment further.
New York matrimonial lawyer Paul Talbert said the judge will look at what living arrangement best suits the child in determining custody. The parents' proximity to the child's school and friends, their ability to provide child care and the stability of each home will be among the considerations weighed, he said.
The former governor and his wife split in 2004 after he resigned in disgrace over a gay affair.
McGreevey stepped down during his first term in office after a nationally televised speech in which he acknowledged being "a gay American" and said he had an affair with a male staffer. The staffer has denied the affair and claims he was sexually harassed by McGreevey.
In the 3 1/2 years since their breakup, their lives have become a public spectacle fueled in part by the McGreeveys themselves. He took up residence at the home of his boyfriend and began studying for the Episcopal priesthood while she became a sometime analyst on cable television shows.
Both wrote tell-all books and promoted them with splashy appearances on Oprah Winfrey's show.
Their divorce trial technically began Tuesday, but Union County Superior Court Judge Karen Cassidy suspended testimony so the talks could take place.
Despite the judge's repeated urgings that the McGreeveys settle the case to avoid the embarrassment and financial burden of a trial, neither side seemed ready to engage in serious talks until Tuesday.
If the trial moves ahead, one possible witness is a former campaign aide who claims to have had three-way sexual encounters with the
McGreeveys.
The one-time driver, Teddy Pedersen, 29, said the encounters began while the McGreeveys were dating in 1999 and ended two years later, after they were married and McGreevey had been elected governor.
McGreevey said the encounters happened; Matos McGreevey denied them. Her attorney is seeking to bar Pedersen's testimony.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
WCBSTV.com's Most Popular Pages
