Arizona Congressman Ruben Gallego and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego’s divorce records are now public.
On October 17, the Washington Free Beacon, a conservative news site, filed a lawsuit demanding the release of the records because Ruben Gallego had publicly discussed his divorce.
According to the documents unsealed on Thursday, Ruben Gallego filed for divorce in Yavapai County in 2016, stating the marriage as “irretrievably broken.”
Both Gallegos signed the divorce decree, which states that “the parties acknowledge and agree that there was no domestic violence during the marriage or that significant domestic violence did not occur.”
The couple has heavily redacted the 400+ pages of records, including details about their finances and 7-year-old son.
The Gallegos sought to keep the documents sealed for privacy and safety reasons as they intended to co-parent their son.
The divorce file outlines the plan for joint parenting and custody of their son, who was born during the divorce proceedings, and the distribution of the couple’s assets; however, the majority of these details remain hidden in the publicly accessible documents.
Four months after the case’s filing, there was no evidence of asset or custody disputes.
Yavapai County Judge John Napper, who unsealed the case, anticipated after perusing the file that “everyone’s going to be rather deflated.” He described this as one of the most straightforward divorce files he had ever seen.
When the Gallego marriage ended just before the birth of their first child in 2016, it startled Arizona’s political world. One of the most difficult challenges Ruben Gallego has faced during his Senate campaign has been speculation regarding the causes and secrecy surrounding the divorce records.
Both Gallegos have referred to their separation as a “private matter” and have said little publicly about it, while Ruben Gallego, a retired US Marine, has speculated that post-traumatic stress disorder from a mission to Iraq had a role.
Kate Gallego sponsored her ex-husband’s Senate race last year, and they are frequently seen together in public, often with their son.
The Gallegos went to extreme measures to keep their documents hidden. Ruben Gallego petitioned for divorce in Yavapai County, 100 miles from Phoenix, where neither had ever lived, and asked a court to seal the whole case file.
Napper, the new judge reviewing the case, found that it had been wrongfully sealed and denied many of the Gallegos’ requests for redactions.
The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Free Beacon last week, ordering the opening of the papers on Thursday. The state Supreme Court declined to intervene late Wednesday.
Ruben Gallego is up against Republican Kari Lake in the United States Senate campaign.
Kate Gallego is vying for reelection as Phoenix’s mayor.
Kate and Ruben released a joint statement, saying:
“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 endangering the privacy and well-being of our young son. We have long put our child before all else and will continue to do so. The judge in this case has recognized how standard the records are, and it is shameful that Lake, her allies, and those who amplify her cruelty refuse to respect two people who are just trying to raise a beautiful boy together.”
Caroline Wren, Senior Advisor to Kari Lake, released a statement on the released records, saying:
“It’s bizarre that Ruben Gallego would demand an apology from Kari Lake for his appalling behavior. Everyone knows Kari Lake had nothing to do with this lawsuit, which was filed by an independent media outlet. However, we do find the revelations from the divorce records to be shocking, especially considering Ruben Gallego is spending millions on advertising claiming to want to protect women, yet he served his unsuspecting wife with divorce papers when she was days away from giving birth, and even demanded she pay his attorney’s fees. If Ruben Gallego will turn his back on his pregnant wife days before she gives birth, he will turn his back on Arizona.”
