News
2007-09-14
Gay governor's
estranged wife wants fourfold increase in support
Dina McGreevey: I
want more money
The estranged
wife of the nation's first openly g
The estranged
wife of the nation's first openly gay governor wants a
judge to increase her monthly support nearly fourfold to
$4,000 so she can live a lifestyle closer to that of
New Jersey's first lady.
Dina Matos
McGreevey said she and the couple's 5-year-old daughter live
in a modest three-bedroom house while her husband, Jim
McGreevey, and his male partner live in a lavish
17-room mansion with gardens, according to court
papers.
''In total, I
need $11,162 per month to meet my expenses,'' she told the
judge. ''This lifestyle by no means approximates the
lifestyle which plaintiff enjoys, much less the
lifestyle we enjoyed while plaintiff was governor.''
Matos McGreevey
said in the papers that McGreevey's assertion that ''he
is only obligated to pay $1,129 per month in support for
Jacqueline given his income and lifestyle is
outrageous.''
The papers, filed
Monday, were made available Wednesday by superior court
judge Karen M. Cassidy, who is presiding over the couple's
contentious divorce.
Matos McGreevey
said her husband intentionally kept his 2005 earnings to
$165,000 ''to limit his support obligations.''
''He expected
that by the time he had to reveal his 2006 income, our case
would have been settled, and so in one year he more than
doubled his income,'' she said.
Citing 2006
federal income tax returns, Matos McGreevey says McGreevey's
adjusted gross income was $428,833, including $17,400 from
Kean University for adjunct teaching and $60,000 in
consulting fees from a law firm.
Matos McGreevey
said she grossed $82,000 in 2006 from her position with
Columbus Hospital in Newark. She also got a $275,000 book
advance, of which she netted $195,000 after expenses.
But unless the
book sells better, she won't receive any royalty payments.
McGreevey's
lawyer, Matthew Piermatti II, said Matos McGreevey ''seems
to be looking for the perks and benefits that even an
ex-governor would not enjoy.'' He has until September
14 to file a response.
The judge will
hear arguments on support and other issues contained in
the paperwork on September 21.
McGreevey stunned
the nation when he announced in August 2004 that he was
''a gay American'' and resigned. The McGreeveys officially
split up when they moved out of the governor's mansion
in November 2004. (Angela Delli Santi, AP)
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