Augusta Military Divorce - Judge unseals speaker's divorce files
Associated Press - July 22, 2008 9:04 PM ET
ATLANTA (AP) - A judge has unsealed some records in Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson's divorce after an ethics watchdog sued to open them to the public.
But the papers shed little light on an allegation at the state Capitol that Richardson had an "improper relationship" with a female lobbyist. The papers describe Richardson's marriage as "irretrievably broken" but do not provide details.
The records were sealed earlier this year by Paulding County Judge James Osborne, who is Richardson's former law partner. Divorce lawyers say it's unusual to keep such records under wraps in Georgia. Critics questioned whether Richardson had received special treatment.
The records show that the case was shuffled between judges in Paulding County, where Richardson lives and where his law firm is located. Osborne granted the divorce in May.
Richardson's divorce from his wife, Susan, was a topic of speculation at the state Capitol because it came after a 2007 ethics complaint alleging that the Republican speaker had an improper relationship with a female utility lobbyist. A legislative ethics panel dismissed the complaint.
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