Former Gov. Matt Bevin's divorce final though issues remain to be resolved
Then-Gov. Matt Bevin and his now estranged wife Glenna Bevin talk on KET in 2017 about their experiences with adoption. (Screenshot)
Former Gov. Matt Bevin and his wife, Glenna, are now divorced.
Jefferson Family Court Judge Angela Johnson entered an order Tuesday granting a 'limited decree of dissolution of marriage,' finalizing the divorce Glenna Bevin sought in 2023.
The two-page order means all other issues pending in the divorce remain unresolved, including a proposed settlement the Bevins have asked to keep confidential.
The Bevins did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The divorce order comes as the Bevins' adopted son Jonah Bevin is seeking to intervene in the case, asking to protect his interests. Now 18, Jonah alleges his parents abandoned him at age 17 in a brutally abusive youth facility in Jamaica.
He said he now is living on his own with no support and few assets.
Jonah also has obtained an emergency protective order against Matt Bevin, alleging he experienced abuse and neglect in the home. He is one of four children the Bevins adopted from Ethiopia; the couple also has five biological children.
All but one are 18 or older.
Also unresolved is whether the Bevins, who are wealthy and live in Anchorage, can keep confidential a divorce settlement they reached last month, involving property, finances and parental responsibilities.
They have asked the judge to do so, asking it 'remain private and protected from public access and disclosure.'
But on Tuesday, The Courier Journal filed a motion objecting to a confidential settlement, saying such court records are generally open in Kentucky and should remain so. The motion, filed by lawyer Michal Abate, also says that the Bevins, as former governor and first lady, are public figures and recent developments, including disclosure of alleged abandonment, abuse and neglect, merit public scrutiny.
In particular, Jonah has filed a police report alleging child abandonment, which is a Class D felony in Kentucky, Abate's motion said.
Keeping the Bevins' settlement public 'will shed light on these important matters of public concern and provide Kentuckians with vital information about the potential criminal activity of their former governor,' it said.
The judge has not ruled on whether to allow the settlement to remain confidential.
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