Latest news with #MattBevin
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bevins ‘paid for pain, not protection,' says lawyer for former governor's adopted son
Jonah Bevin, adoptive son of former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin and Glenna Bevin, speaks to attorney Dawn Post, left, in court in Louisville, March 21, 2025. (Photo by Michael Clevenger, Courier Journal, via press pool) Lawyers for Jonah Bevin, the adopted son of former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, have filed a sharply worded reply to claims Matt Bevin filed under seal April 25 in which he responds to 'certain assertions' made by his estranged son. In a response Tuesday, Dawn J. Post, a lawyer and child advocate representing Jonah, disputes assertions that Matt and Glenna Bevin — who are now divorced — spent 'significant resources' on care for the youth they adopted around age 5 from Ethiopia. In reality, most money was spent on a series of out-of-state residential facilities for Jonah, starting at age 13, culminating in his abandonment at age 17 at the Atlantis Leadership Academy, a brutally violent youth facility in Jamaica that was shut down by child welfare authorities in 2024, Post said in a 10-page affidavit. 'The Bevins paid for pain, not protection,' Post's affidavit said. 'Jonah's harm stemmed from the decisions of those responsible for his well-being, not his own actions.' While Matt Bevin portrays Jonah as a 'troubled teen,' Post responds his behavior and emotional well-being were worsened by harsh and sometimes abusive facilities, most of all the Jamaican facility where youths allege brutal beatings and treatment that amounted to torture. Matt Bevin claims to have filed his affidavit under seal 'due to the sensitive nature of the content,' lawyer John H. Helmers, who also represents Jonah, said in a filing Tuesday that accompanies Post's affidavit. Their filing is public. The Bevins did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Former KY Gov. Matt Bevin's adopted son reportedly removed from abusive facility in Jamaica The filing comes in the midst of a court battle between Jonah and his adoptive parents over the son's claims of abuse and neglect and allegations the couple abandoned him in Jamaica. As part of the case, Jonah has obtained protective orders against Matt and Glenna Bevin, barring them from direct contact with him, in part because he alleged they tried to get him out of the country this year on a hastily arranged trip to Ethiopia. The Bevins claimed to have located Jonah's birth mother they had previously told him was deceased, according to court records. Jonah has since said in a court filing he believes 'they were trying to get me to disappear.' Matt Bevin, in his affidavit, said during a period in October 2023 when he was living with the Bevins, Jonah was charged with assaulting and threatening to kill a family member. Post's affidavit said Jonah has never denied the incident, an apparent altercation with his father, and entered a diversion program under court supervision in Jefferson County to resolve the charges. But the event highlights a 'critical inconsistency,' Post's affidavit said. It says Jonah — while supposedly under court supervision, was removed in late 2023 at age 17 and sent out of the country to Jamaica with no notice to the court or family court judge who was then presiding over the Bevins' divorce case, including oversight of their minor children. 'Why was this court never informed of his removal and custodial status at that time?' it asks. Post's affidavit also provides the first detailed account in the court record of Jonah's alleged abandonment in Jamaica by the Bevins and their refusal to intervene on his behalf after he was removed from the Jamaica facility along with six other youths by child welfare officials. Matt Bevin alleges he worked on Jonah's behalf but Post, in her affidavit said 'Matt Bevin did the exact opposite and Glenna Bevin did not intervene on Jonah's behalf.' Instead, she said, through her involvement in the court case she learned Matt Bevin was seeking to keep Jonah in Jamaica. 'I don't have anybody': Adoptive teen son of a KY governor talks about life on his own Post said, she, as a child advocate, spent three weeks in Jamaica in 2024 working on behalf of the youths removed from the facility, including Jonah, and said the Bevins were only parents who did not 'engage' with the U.S. embassy or Jamaican child welfare authorities to assist in his care and return to the United States. The case attracted international media attention after hotel heiress and celebrity Paris Hilton — an advocate for children in the so-called 'troubled teen' industry — flew to Jamaica to aid the youths. At a court hearing in Jamaica, the defense lawyer for the Atlantis Academy — whose employees are facing abuse charges in Jamaica — claimed he had been retained by the Bevins to speak on Jonah's behalf and argued for the facility to be reopened and Jonah returned to it, Post's affidavit said. Post described Jonah as 'noticeably withdrawn' and said he told her he was aware his family did not want him back. As a result, Jonah was placed in custody of the Jamaican child welfare system while Post and various authorities in that country and the United States tried to work out a placement in the United States, settling on a provider in Florida. Officials needed approval of Jonah's parents, but were unable to reach them to obtain their assistance, the affidavit said. Post, in her affidavit, said she then called Glenna Bevin herself. In a recorded call, Glenna Bevin told her she agreed with the plan but she and Matt Bevin disagreed. She said she would try to reach her then-husband but warned he could be 'tricky' and that he 'doesn't always respond' to attempts to contact him. Glenna Bevin also asked Post to share her contact information with officials because 'Matt Bevin had allegedly left her out of Jonah's care and protection.' Jonah Bevin returned to the United States in May 2024, three months after he was removed from the Jamaican facility, after officials with the U.S. embassy obtained the Bevins' consent, Post's affidavit said. 'I worked for weeks with Jamaican and U.S. Embassy authorities to arrange and pay for Jonah's return flight to the United States on which he was accompanied by a U.S. State Department representative,' Post's affidavit said. His return came 'despite the work of the Bevins to keep him in Jamaica' and 'at no cost to the Bevins,' it said. Post's affidavit said Jonah remains traumatized by the events and, since legal proceedings began earlier this year, underwent a comprehensive evaluation at a Child Advocacy Center of his physical and emotional health. 'The Bevins have never initiated an inquiry into the long-term impact of the trauma Jonah suffered while in their care, nor have they ever asked him about the continuing effects of the abuse and neglect,' Post's affidavit said. 'There has been no meaningful effort to address the harm Jonah suffered both in Jamaica and in prior placements,' it said. Jonah turned 18 last November after returning to the United States from Jamaica but has questioned in a court filing whether that birth date is accurate, citing a recently obtained adoption document that shows a different birth day, which would make him just 17. Meanwhile, Jonah is still awaiting a ruling from Jefferson Family Court Judge Angela Johnson on his request to intervene in the case to protect his interests. He has said he is living on his own without support from the Bevins and spent his 18th birthday in a homeless shelter. Jonah and the Courier Journal have both objected to the Bevins' request that their proposed divorce settlement, which the judge must review, be kept confidential. Following a hearing last month, Judge Johnson said she hopes to rule as soon as possible. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘I'm a real person': Ex-governor's adopted son makes case for intervening in parents' divorce
Jonah Bevin, adoptive son of former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin and Glenna Bevin, speaks to attorney Dawn Post, left, in court in Louisville, March 21, 2025. (Photo by Michael Clevenger, Courier Journal, via press pool) LOUISVILLE — In advance of a hearing Monday afternoon over Jonah Bevin's effort to intervene in the divorce case of his adoptive parents, former Gov. Matt Bevin and his ex-wife Glenna, a flurry of motions offers sharply different claims about Jonah's care. The recent filings even raise questions about Jonah's age — whether he is 18, as he had believed, or just 17, because of a conflict in records that recently came to light. Matt Bevin, in filing Friday, said Jonah's claims of neglect, abandonment and abuse 'are not grounded in fact or law and are, instead, intended to garner media attention and outrage.' 'The truth is entirely different and it is heartbreaking to Matt to see his son caught up in this web,' it said, adding that 'Jonah is deeply loved by his entire family' and cites Matt Bevin's 'unshakable love and commitment for his son.' Glenna Bevin, in a separate filing, said she is 'very sad' about the contentious legal proceedings, adding 'she loves her son Jonah and wants only the best for him.' Both Matt and Glenna Bevin are subject to protective orders barring them from contact with Jonah, who sought the orders last month in Jefferson Family Court, alleging they attempted to send him on a hastily arranged trip to Ethiopia, supposedly to meet his birth mother, whom he believed was deceased. Dawn J. Post, a child advocate and lawyer representing Jonah, said she has not been able to find any evidence Jonah's birth mother is alive. Jonah, in a filing Monday, restates his allegations he was abandoned by the Bevins in Jamaica after child welfare authorities closed the Atlantis Youth Academy for abuse and neglect, removing residents and leaving him for a time in the custody of the Jamaican child welfare system. 'Where is the love my parents said they had for me because they didn't show it when they left and ignored me. Other parents came to get their kids,' he said in an affidavit. 'My parents either lied or left out the truth over and over. Because of that I've been on my own. I've been trying to speak up because nobody else has done it for me.' Jefferson Family Court Judge Angela Johnson has scheduled a hearing Monday afternoon to decide whether to permit Jonah to intervene in the Bevins' divorce case in order to prevent them from reaching a confidential settlement. The Courier Journal also is objecting to keeping such a settlement private, saying court records generally are open to the public. Meanwhile, Jonah has reported to the court his exact age is in dispute; recently obtained records show he may be only 17 instead of 18, as he previously believed. 'I feel that I am not real,' Jonah said in his affidavit. 'No one knows my real age.' A motion filed Friday by his lawyers says Jonah, who was one of four children adopted by the Bevins in 2012 from Ethiopia, said records the Bevins recently provided show conflicting birth dates. One of the records the Bevins provided shows Jonah's birth date as November 2006, which Jonah had thought was his true birth date, and the other, November 2007, the motion said. If Jonah is just 17, and still a minor, that could affect his pending case, said one of Jonah's lawyers, John Helmers Jr. Prior to the recent filings, court records have said the Bevins' five biological children are adults and that only one of the four adopted children is a minor. It makes Jonah's case for intervening in the Bevins' divorce stronger since the court has a greater responsibility toward minor children, Helmers said in an email. Matt Bevin's motion objecting to Jonah intervening in the divorce case dismissed the issue, saying that it was 'undisputed' the teen turned 18 in November 2024 and therefore is 'emancipated.' He and Glenna Bevin both ask, in separate motions, that Jonah's request to intervene as a party in their divorce case be denied. Jonah, in his affidavit, disagrees, saying his alleged abuse, neglect and abandonment deserve consideration. 'The court can't just let this go on like it didn't happen,' it said. 'I'm not just a name on paper. I'm a real person. What happened to me was real. Leaving me out of this case says it didn't happen.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ex-Gov. Matt Bevin grills adopted son about a pet dog in hearing on protective order
Jonah Bevin, left, attended a court hearing Friday with his lawyer, John Helmers Jr., over an emergency protective order he is seeking to retain against his adoptive father, former Gov. Matt Bevin. At center is his adoptive mother, Glenna Bevin with lawyer Steve Romines and at right, Matt Bevin. (Photo by Michael Clevenger, Courier Journal, via press pool) LOUISVILLE — An unusual bit of courtroom drama unfolded Friday when former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin — acting as his own attorney — grilled his adopted son, Jonah, about an emergency protective order the son is seeking to keep in place against Bevin. Jonah, 18, adopted at age 5 from Ethiopia, alleges he experienced abuse and neglect in the Bevin home, culminating in his abandonment at a brutally abusive youth facility last year in Jamaica while he was 17. Jonah is seeking an extension of the temporary protective order he obtained March 7 against Matt Bevin, saying he fears him and wants no contact with him. Matt Bevin, seated beside his ex-wife, Glenna, at a table next to Jonah's, spent about 30 minutes questioning him about a three-page statement Jonah provided in support of his request for an EPO — at one point challenging his claim that Matt Bevin had threatened to euthanize Jonah's pet dog if the youth failed to follow his directives. In a series of questions, the one-term Republican governor, seated with a stack of documents before him, demanded to know who paid for the dog, bought dog food and purchased its dog bed. 'You paid,' Jonah replied, but 'I had to pay you back for everything.' Friday's hearing was continued until Tuesday by Family Court Judge Angela Johnson after parties said they would need more time to present witnesses. The couple's divorce became final March 18. Glenna Bevin, who is not subject to the EPO, appeared alongside her lawyer, Steve Romines, a prominent Louisville defense lawyer In addition to seeking the protective order, Jonah Bevin has filed a report with Louisville Metro Police, alleging he was abandoned in Jamaica at age 17 by the Bevins, a Class D felony in Kentucky. She sat quietly, hands folded in her lap, while her lawyer handled questions on her behalf. Romines spent most of his time apparently seeking to distance Glenna Bevin from allegations involving her ex-husband and show that she had attempted to get help for Jonah's emotional problems and learning disabilities. Neither Bevin has commented on Jonah's allegations, first reported in the Kentucky Lantern Feb. 28. After the 90-minute hearing ended Friday, Matt Bevin twice ignored a reporter asking if he had any comment on the proceedings, walking by without reply. Glenna Bevin's lawyers said they would have no comment until the hearing is concluded. Jonah also left without commenting. Dawn J. Post, a New York lawyer and child advocate also representing Jonah, said the experience of having to testify about his ordeal — especially under questioning from Matt Bevin, who he has accused of abuse — was 'emotionally retraumatizing.' She called Bevin's decision to represent himself, and thus directly question his son, 'unexpected.' 'That certainly can feel like another form of abuse,' Post said, referring to the questions by his father. Jonah, sitting beside his lawyer, John Helmers Jr., spoke softly, at times, almost inaudibly during the hearing, at one point prompting Family Court Judge Angela Johnson to ask him to speak louder. During Matt Bevin's questioning, Helmers twice asked the judge to direct him from interrupting Jonah while he was attempting to answer, which she did. Jonah was asked by the judge to verify the statement he provided in support of the EPO was truthful after Johnson read it into the court record. 'Yes ma'am,' he replied. The statement alleged a threat by Matt Bevin that 'I can take your life' and 'I can make your life miserable.' It also included allegations Glenna Bevin slapped and struck him and the Bevins recently tried to 'coerce' him into a trip to Ethiopia to meet his biological mother, whom they previously had told him was deceased. 'I now believe they were trying to get me to disappear,' his statement said. The judge also asked if had any contact with the Bevins during the several months he was held at the Atlantis Leadership Academy — which he said involved brutal beatings and punishment that amounted to torture — before Jamaican child welfare authorities shut it down for suspected abuse and neglect. 'I didn't have any contact with them,' he said, adding youths were not permitted to make phone calls to families. 'Did they call you?' Johnson asked. 'No ma'am,' he replied. Jonah also said he had no help from the Bevins after he was removed from the Jamaican facility and eventually returned to the United States, he believes with the help of the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica, which was involved in the case. Under questioning from Romines, Jonah detailed a troubled life he acknowledged involved being kicked out of several schools, running away, altercations with the Bevins and other problems. He has said he was sent to the first of a series of out of state facilities by the Bevins at age 13. He also said he was sexually assaulted at age 10 by someone connected to the Bevin family and said Glenna Bevin had obtained counseling for him. The case will be back in court April 1 with the Bevins planning to present witnesses expected to include some of their adult children. They have four children adopted from Ethiopia, including Jonah and five biological children, all but one is over 18. Helmers, Jonah's lawyer, declined to predict the outcome but said this: 'We're just confident the judge is going to do the right thing.'
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ex-Gov. Matt Bevin and wife reach divorce settlement, ask judge to keep it secret
Then-Gov. Matt Bevin speaks during the National Rifle Association Convention at the Kentucky Exposition Center on May 20, 2016 in Louisville. (Photo by) Saying they 'need closure,' former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin and his wife, Glenna, have asked a judge to keep confidential their proposed divorce settlement — making that request to the same judge who in June ordered the divorce case unsealed and open to the public. The Bevins' joint motion filed Tuesday comes nearly two years after Glenna Bevin filed for divorce in May 2023. And it comes amid public attention to their treatment of their adopted son, Jonah Bevin, who alleges they abandoned him at 17 in a brutally abusive youth facility in Jamaica. Jonah, now 18, last week obtained an emergency protective order against Matt Bevin, arguing he was abused and neglected after the couple adopted him at age 5 from Ethiopia, culminating in his abandonment at the Jamaica facility closed last year by child welfare authorities. He also has filed a report with Louisville Metro Police alleging child abandonment by the Bevins. 'I don't have anybody': Adoptive teen son of a KY governor talks about life on his own He was one of four children adopted from Ethiopia in 2012 by Matt and Glenna Bevin, who as governor and first lady made adoption and child welfare among their top priorities during his term from late 2015 to 2019. They also have five biological children — all are adults except for one. The temporary protective order for Jonah was granted by Jefferson Family Court Judge Angela Johnson, the same judge overseeing the Bevins' divorce case. It bars Matt Bevin from contacting or coming within 500 feet of Jonah pending a hearing March 19. The Bevins did not respond to requests for comment. In their joint motion, Matt and Glenna Bevin said they have reached a 'marital settlement agreement' regarding property, finances, parenting and custody of their minor child, 15. Matt Bevin, a one-term Republican governor, and wealthy business entrepreneur, is described in court filings as 'self-employed' and Glenna Bevin as 'not employed outside of the house.' The Bevins, in their motion, argue that their divorce case already garnered 'extensive media attention' and ask the court to keep their agreement secret 'to ensure their negotiated settlement terms, both financial and child-related, remain private and protected from public access and disclosure.' It adds: 'The parties and their family need closure from this matter and to be able to move forward without additional public scrutiny or opinion.' 'Allowing the media and public to access the parties' personal financial information and terms of settlement would be contrary to this goal and detrimental to the Bevin family. Further, allowing such access would only serve idle curiosity and gossip and not legitimate public interest.' They ask that the judge either review their divorce settlement privately or allow it to be filed in the court record under seal. The case attracted media attention in 2023 when Glenna Bevin first filed for divorce and again in 2024 when she sought an order from the court to restrict Matt Bevin from showing up unannounced at her home in Anchorage and refusing to leave. Though the couple were separated and had separate homes in Anchorage, an affluent enclave east of Louisville, Matt Bevin persisted in coming to her home, attempting to discuss the pending divorce with her, Glenna Bevin's court filing said. 'When I try to disengage, he follows me from room to room and even into the bathroom or my bedroom, disrespecting my privacy; to me, his conduct is aggressive and unsettling,' her filing said. The judge entered an order limiting Matt Bevin's access to the home and directing the two to communicate through a parenting app about visits to their children. After that, the Bevins' asked that the file be sealed and the court agreed. But Johnson, the judge, agreed to unseal the case and reopen the records to the public after The Courier Journal appealed, arguing such court proceedings should be open to the public. In a June 2024 order Johnson, found that in general, such court cases should remain open to the public with possible exceptions for sensitive medical or other personal information. Since then, no further pleadings have been filed by the Bevins until Tuesday, when they filed the notice with the court they had reached a divorce settlement, asking that it be kept private. Johnson is scheduled to hear the Bevins' request to keep their settlement private on March 17. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
