Arizona Supreme Court unseals Gallego divorce papers; Here’s what we found

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The Arizona Supreme Court has unsealed divorce documents between Congressman Ruben Gallego and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego after attempts to prevent the documents from being made public weeks before Election Day.

The Gallegos had tried to block right-wing broadcaster The Washington Free Beacon from obtaining the recordings, saying they did so for political reasons and later citing privacy reasons.

“According to the Gallegos, the recording contains intimate details about how the Gallegos planned to raise and co-parent their child. They also argue that unsealing the file by Oct. 17 would cause them irreparable harm and would have raised serious questions about the requirements for unsealing a document,” according to a filing with the court.

Divorce records, like most other court records, are publicly available; However, when Free Beacon requested these records, their requests were initially denied by the Yavapai County Superior Court.

The conservative-leaning media then filed a motion to overturn the seal, leading to a 10-month court battle that ultimately ended in the Arizona Supreme Court.

Earlier this week, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that the couple had no merit in keeping those records sealed. Judge Clint Bolick wrote in the ruling that the Gallegos “failed to provide a precise statement as to what harm would be caused by releasing these records to the public.”

Ruben has used his divorce as part of his story in reaching out to voters and potential voters. The US House representative had told the Washington Post that his divorce was attributed to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following his service in Iraq, citing “extreme outbursts” and substance abuse problems.

What was found in the records?

The records, which total more than 460 pages, show that Ruben filed the papers to end the marriage just days before their son was born in December 2016. The divorce was finalized in April 2017.

A few days after filing in court, the two announced their divorce on social media, and unsealed documents included screenshots of those posts.

There are no detailed information about allegations of infidelity or domestic violence of any kind. Both confirmed in court that there was no domestic violence during the marriage.

The filing stated that the marriage was “irretrievably broken,” a legal term for when it cannot be reconciled or repaired.

There is no evidence of any dispute over assets or custody and documents showed that Ruben and Kate acknowledged “each other’s love, dedication and commitment to the minor child.”

The papers also contained other typical divorce proceedings, including one indicating that Ruben had asked the court to pay Kate a portion of legal fees, which is allowed under state law in certain cases.

Additionally, many heavily redacted pages concerned custody arrangements or other identifying financial and personal information.

Gallegos demand an apology from Kari Lake

In a joint statement Thursday, the Gallegos condemned Lake for hyping the divorce and said they have always put the interests of their son, now 7, first.

“We demand an apology from Kari Lake for lying about our family and the circumstances of our divorce. She will stop at nothing to score a cheap political point – even if it means jeopardizing the privacy and well-being of our young son. We have long placed our child above all else and will continue to do so. “The judge in this case has recognized how standardized the record is, and it is shameful that Lake, her allies and those who reinforce their cruelty refuse to respect two people who are just trying to raise a beautiful boy together.” said a joint statement from the Gallegos.

Lake’s campaign responded minutes later, saying the GOP nominee was not involved in the legal saga and criticizing Ruben for the outcome of the divorce.

“It is bizarre that Ruben Gallego is demanding an apology from Kari Lake for his appalling behavior. Everyone knows that Kari Lake had nothing to do with this lawsuit filed by an independent media company. “However, we find the revelations from the divorce files shocking, especially considering that Ruben Gallego spends millions on advertising claiming to want to protect women,” said Caroline Wren, Lake’s senior adviser. “Yet he handed his unsuspecting wife divorce papers when she was just days away from giving birth and even demanded that she pay his legal fees! If Ruben Gallego turns his back on his pregnant wife days before the birth, he will turn his back on Arizona.”

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