Ex-N.J. Governor McGreevey Seeks Divorce

Couple Separated In 2004, When Governor Resigned After Announcing He Was Gay, Had Affair With Staffer

(AP)  Former Gov. James McGreevey, who announced he was gay in 2004, filed for divorce Friday from his wife of seven years.

McGreevey's lawyers filed the two-page document seeking to dissolve his union with Dina Matos McGreevey in Elizabeth, county court spokeswoman Sandra Thaler-Gerber confirmed.

The two have lived apart since November 2004, when McGreevey resigned after announcing that he was “a gay American” who had had an affair with a male staffer.

“It's a sad day for everyone,” McGreevey told The Associated Press on Friday. “It is something that had to be done. We are blessed with a wonderful daughter who remains our focus.”

The marriage was McGreevey's second. His previous marriage also ended in divorce.

The male staffer named by McGreevey — Golan Cipel — was hired by the governor in 2002 to a $110,000-a-year homeland security post despite having little experience. Cipel has said he isn't gay and accused McGreevey of sexually harassing him. McGreevey said Cipel tried to blackmail him and that he resigned rather than succumb to threats.

Matos McGreevey, who stood at her husband's side as he told the world he was gay, now lives in Springfield with the couple's 5-year-old daughter, Jacqueline. McGreevey lives in Plainfield with his partner, Australian-born money manager Mark O'Donnell.

Neither Matos McGreevey nor her lawyer returned requests for comment Friday.

She has 35 days to answer her husband's filing or file a counterclaim.