Three Republican lawmakers have filed a bill that would bar children from intervening in a parent’s divorce case and limit their ability to obtain child support. House Bill 707 comes amid an acrimonious legal dispute between former Republican Gov. Matt Bevin and his estranged son, Jonah Bevin, wh o alleges his adoptive parents, Matt and Glenna Bevin, abandoned him at age 17 in a brutally abusive youth facility in Jamaica with no resources or high school degree. While the proposed bill doesn’t mention the parents’ divorce pending in Jefferson Family Court, the legislation tracks developments in the case in which Jonah Bevin, now 19, has intervened and is seeking support. Two of the bill’s three sponsors, Rep. Steven Doan, R-Erlanger, and Rep. John Hodgson, R-Fisherville, worked in the Bevin administration, Doan as a lawyer and Hodgson as an official overseeing “red tape cutting.” The third sponsor is Rep. Stephanie Dietz, R-Edgewood, a lawyer. Doan, who practices family law and is the primary sponsor of HB 707, said he filed the bill Feb. 24 after he learned from news reports of the Bevins’ case and became concerned it could set a precedent for similar actions in which adult children try to reopen or intervene in their parents’ divorce cases, seeking support. “I don’t think it’s appropriate or what our child support laws allow for,” Doan said. Rep. Stephanie Dietz, R-Edgewood. (LRC Public Information) Jonah Bevin’s lawyer, John H. Helmers Jr., said Wednesday he had just learned of HB 707 and couldn’t say whether it could impact Jonah’s pending case but, in an email, called it “the worst type of political cronyism.” “The bill is tailored to impact one family, and one family only,” he said. “It was drafted to benefit Matt Bevin.” Helmers added, “You don’t need a PhD in rodents to smell a rat.” Matt Bevin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He and his ex-wife Glenna are seeking to finalize a divorce settlement that was delayed as the Bevins’ objected to Jonah’s intervention. Doan said he had not discussed HB 707 with Matt Bevin, who served as governor from 2015-2019.  He also said he doubted the bill was likely to pass the Republican-controlled General Assembly, where Matt Bevin as governor antagonized fellow Republicans, including vetoing some of their priority bills. “Not many people there are looking to do him a favor,” Doan said. But he said he thought it important to raise the issue and possibly enact legislation in future sessions “just so we don’t have a rash of cases.” Meanwhile, Matt Bevin faces a hearing Friday in which Jonah’s lawyers are seeking to hold him in contempt of court for failing to turn over financial information a judge has ordered him and Glenna Bevin to provide. Jefferson Family Court Judge Angela J. Johnson on March 10 gave the Bevins 48 hours to provide financial disclosures or face sanctions, saying the Bevins acted in “bad faith” by concealing their financial status from the court and Jonah Bevin. She ordered the Bevins to produce such information by March 12 to the court and to Jonah. “This is the only warning the court will issue; any deficiency or failure to adhere to the letter and spirit of the court’s rulings pertaining to discovery SHALL result in sanctions against Matt and Glenna,” her order said. Her order noted that possible sanctions for failure to comply could include a finding of contempt. Glenna Bevin has since provided such information to Jonah’s lawyers, but Matt Bevin produced incomplete and redacted information, Jonah’s lawyers said in a court filing March 13. Jonah is one of four children from Ethiopia adopted in 2012 by the Bevins, who have nine children altogether. His lawyers have argued Jonah is entitled to support and resources to complete his education. The judge, in her order March 10, indicated she is considering child support for Jonah and said she needs details of the Bevins’ finances. “It is proper for both the court and Jonah to be made aware of the parties’ assets when considering child support,” Johnson’s order said. The post Former KY governor’s child support case spawns bill from GOP lawmakers who worked for him appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less