May 15, 2008 1:00 pm US/Eastern
McGreevey Once Again Takes The Stand
ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) ―
The nation's first openly gay
governor testified Thursday that his estranged wife paid for their 2000 wedding
but he doesn't know who paid for their honeymoon to Rome or how much it cost.
"Dina handled the wedding arrangements, and the
wedding trip and to a large extent she handled the honeymoon," former New Jersey
Gov. James McGreevey testified on cross-examination, during his second day on
the witness stand in his high-profile divorce.
John Post, a lawyer for Dina Matos McGreevey,
peppered the former governor with questions on his income and assets Thursday, as
he tried to convince a judge to award his client alimony.
Matos McGreevey is asking the judge to base the
payments, at least in part, on McGreevey's "marital conduct," including his alleged
adulterous gay relationship.
McGreevey, 50, stepped down 13 months before
his first term as governor was to end, announcing in a nationally televised
speech that he was "a gay American." He said he had an affair with a male
staffer while married to Matos McGreevey. The staffer denies the affair and
says he was sexually harassed by the governor.
McGreevey testified Wednesday that he has
limited income, few assets and significant debts. He said he is all but
unemployable because of the gay sex scandal that toppled his administration and
ongoing publicity in his messy divorce.
"Because of this case, I have been financially
crippled," McGreevey told the judge.
McGreevey lawyer Stephen Haller argued that the
couple's "short-term marriage" does not qualify for her for alimony. They split
in 2004 after four years of marriage.
Post quizzed McGreevey extensively about his
source of income after he left office, which included work for the law firm of
his friend, Sen. Raymond Lesniak.
Now an Episcopal seminary student, McGreevey
said he owes a prior divorce lawyer at least $116,000 and has not paid his
first ex-wife any child support this year. He said he relies on boyfriend Mark
O'Donnell to pay legal bills and lifestyle expenses. He lives in a house owned
by O'Donnell and said he owes O'Donnell money.
Matos McGreevey, 41, is a hospital executive,
but she is slated to lose her job next month when the hospital closes.
Post accused McGreevey of underestimating his earning
potential.
The judge said employment expert Donna Kolsky will
testify
Thursday afternoon. She is expected to testify that
McGreevey could earn a maximum of $118,000 from teaching and consulting. Matos McGreevey
earns about $82,000 a year at the hospital.
The couple is fighting over alimony, child
support, and how to divide their assets and liabilities. They have agreed on
custody of their only child, 6-year-old Jacqueline.
Matos McGreevey is asking the court to award
her additional money based on the contention that McGreevey committed marriage fraud.
She says she was duped into marriage by a gay man who needed the cover of a
wife to advance his political career.
McGreevey says his wife should have known he was
gay.
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
