This browser does not support the Video element.
Ruben and Kate Gallego's divorce records unsealed
The divorce records involving Congressman Ruben Gallego and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego have been unsealed. The release stems from a lawsuit that was filed in January, and the records show Ruben filed for divorce in Yavapai County in 2016, stating the marriage was irretrievably broken. The heavily-redacted records also state there were no domestic violence or allegations of infidelity.
PHOENIX - The divorce records of Arizona Congressman Ruben Gallego and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego have been unsealed.
The release of the records on Oct. 17 stems from a lawsuit that was filed by conservative news outlet the Washington Free Beacon, which argued that the documents should be made public after Ruben Gallego spoke publicly about his divorce.
The documents released on Thursday show that Ruben Gallego filed for divorce in 2016 in Yavapai County, citing that the marriage was "irretrievably broken."
The divorce decree, signed by both Gallegos, includes a declaration that "the parties acknowledge and agree that there was no domestic violence during the marriage or that significant domestic violence did not occur."
There are heavy redactions in the 400-plus pages of documents – information about the couple's son, 7, and finances are blacked out.
The Gallegos fought to keep the records sealed for privacy reasons and safety concerns about how they planned to co-parent their son.
The divorce file spells out the shared parenting and custody plan for their son, who was born while the divorce case was pending, and how the couple’s assets would be divided, but most of those details were redacted from the publicly released records.
The case was finalized four months after it was filed without any indication of wrangling over assets or custody.
Yavapai County judge John Napper, who ordered the case unsealed, predicted after reviewing the file that "everyone’s going to be rather deflated." He called it "one of the most garden variety divorce files I have ever seen."
The breakup of the Gallego marriage shortly before the birth of their first child shocked the Arizona political community when it was announced in 2016. Speculation about the reasons and the secrecy surrounding the divorce records has been one of the biggest challenges Ruben Gallego has confronted in his Senate campaign.
Both Gallegos have called their separation a "private matter" and have said little publicly about it, though Ruben Gallego, a retired U.S. Marine, has suggested post-traumatic stress disorder he got from a deployment to Iraq contributed.
Kate Gallego endorsed her ex-husband’s Senate campaign last year, and they routinely appear together in public, often with their son.
The Gallegos went to extraordinary lengths to keep the records private. Ruben Gallego filed the petition for divorce in Yavapai County, 100 miles from Phoenix and where neither has ever lived, and asked a judge to take the rare step of sealing the entire case file.
Napper, the judge now overseeing the case, ruled the case was improperly sealed and rejected many of the Gallegos’ requested redactions.
The Arizona Court of Appeals sided with the Free Beacon last week and ordered the files unsealed on Thursday. The state Supreme Court declined to step in late Wednesday.
MORE: Arizona Supreme Court denies effort to keep divorce records of Ruben and Kate Gallego sealed
Ruben Gallego is running against Republican Kari Lake in the U.S. Senate race.
Kate Gallego is running for reelection as the mayor of Phoenix.
Ruben and Kate Gallego. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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."