By Deborah Yetter
Kentucky Lantern
A judge has rejected efforts by former Gov. Matt Bevin and his ex-wife Glenna Bevin to keep their divorce settlement confidential, ruling in favor of their adopted son Jonah Bevin, 18, who had asked it be public.
The judge noted the high-profile divorce and Jonah’s allegations of abuse and neglect by his parents already have attracted widespread media coverage and that Matt Bevin, though no longer governor, is a public figure.
“He once held the highest office in this state,” Jefferson Family Court Judge Angela Johnson’s order said of the one-term Republican. “Whether he knew it at the time he chose to run for office, in doing so he chose to become a public figure for life.”
“Concealing the allocation of assets,” her order said, “could generate speculation about political grift or other unethical conduct.”
The Courier Journal also had argued the settlement should be public, citing his role as a public figure and his advocacy of adoption.
Matt Bevin, a business entrepreneur whose wealth was estimated in the millions when he ran for governor in 2015, and his wife have owned several houses, each valued at more than $1 million. Bevin ran on a campaign of improving foster care and adoption in Kentucky, often holding up his family as an example.
The judge’s order noted the Bevins claimed to have provided for all their children in the divorce settlement.
Johnson, in a 22-page order released Friday, also granted Jonah’s request to intervene in the divorce case — which he had sought to protect his interests and which the Bevins had opposed.
While it might be unusual for a child to intervene in his parents’ divorce, so is this case, the judge said.
“This court would be remiss if it did not recognize this case is profoundly unique, unlike any other divorce case proceeding heard in this Commonwealth,” the order said.
As part of the case, Jonah has obtained protective orders against his parents, alleging they abandoned him at age 17 in a brutally abusive facility in Jamaica closed last year by child welfare authorities.
Also, the judge rejected Glenna Bevin’s request to soften the terms of a restraining order against her.
Jonhson, in her order, said terms of the protective orders were worked out in a settlement and she will not allow Glenna Bevin “to walk away from the agreement she made.”
In all, the order ruled in Jonah’s favor on all measures he had sought in the pending family court case. He has said in court he is living on his own and spent his 18th birthday in a homeless shelter in Utah after returning to the United States from Jamaica with no assistance from his parents.
The Bevins did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Dawn J. Post, a lawyer and child advocate helping represent Jonah, hailed the judge’s order as “one important step forward” in his effort to find justice and stability. She said it also helps Jonah in his effort to give voice to other children from failed adoptions who find themselves abandoned, often in abusive facilities.
“This decision not only gives Jonah the opportunity to be heard but to stand fully in his truth after years of abandonment,” Post said.
Jonah also is represented by Louisville lawyers John H. Helmers and Melina Hettiarachi.
A key portion of the judge’s order dealt with Jonah’s education and whether he has a valid high school degree, as Matt Bevin has claimed. That determination could affect the Bevins’ further obligations to him, it said.
Jonah’s lawyers have alleged he was in and out of various out-of-state residential facilities since age 13 and received no meaningful education, calling a diploma he received last year through an online Christian school based in Florida a “sham.”
The judge’s order notes that one of the obligations of parents under state law is to provide a child with adequate care, supervision, food, clothing, shelter and education.
Matt Bevin argued that the Florida-based Veritas Mission Academy is an accredited school in Florida.
But the judge’s order found no reliable verification of that claim.
“As far as the court is aware, there is no reputable entity vouching for the educational standards at Veritas Mission Academy,” it said.
Jonah told the Lantern in an interview earlier this year he struggles with learning disabilities that affect his ability to read and write.
The judge said Jonah’s appearance in court led her to question his level of education, noting in court proceedings “Jonah appeared to struggle with the vocabulary and communications skills necessary to articulate his thoughts, feelings and experiences.”
“This leads the court to believe his high school education has not adequately prepared him to live his life as an independent adult,” Johnson’s order said.
The judge also addressed another question in the case — whether Jonah turned 18 last November. In a recent court hearing, Jonah’s lawyers said adoption records they recently obtained showed a discrepancy, with one indicating he might be 17.
The judge concluded he is 18, noting the discrepancy occurred in only one of several records the Bevins produced and was likely an error. Still, that doesn’t lessen his potential claims, including support, the order said, adding.
“If the court decides Jonah is entitled to some form of child support, it has the authority to craft an appropriate solution.”
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.