Then-Gov. Matt Bevin speaks during the National Rifle Association Convention at the Kentucky Exposition Center on May 20, 2016 in Louisville. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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.
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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.
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