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Settlement reached in Nevada governor’s divorce

Scott Sonner
Associated Press

RENO, Nev. (AP) – Gov. Jim Gibbons and first lady Dawn Gibbons reached a settlement in their divorce Monday as they were preparing to begin a four-day public trial.

Lawyers and the first couple met with a judge in a Reno courtroom before announcing an agreement had been reached after months of legal wrangling and marathon negotiations.

“This matter is settled,” Gary Silverman, the governor’s lawyer, told Washoe District Family Court Judge Frances Doherty. If the judge approves the agreement, Gibbons will be the first Nevada governor to get a divorce while in office.



The couple agreed to split their Reno home and 40 acres in scenic Lamoille in Elko County, lawyers said. Each has a net value of about $575,000.

The governor will get to keep a 1914 Model T car. The first lady will get a 1915 Model T.



Silverman said other details, like divvying up furniture, will be discussed at another settlement conference Monday afternoon.

The 65-year-old governor filed for divorce in May 2008, citing incompatibility with his wife of 23 years.

Dawn Gibbons, 55, accused her husband of infidelity and of using her to foster his political ambitions. She accused her husband of having affairs with a Playboy model and the estranged wife of a Reno doctor.


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