Court Referee Orders Ellison Divorce File Unsealed
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — An attorney for Minnesota Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison says Ellison will appeal a court referee's order to unseal his divorce record.
A Hennepin County family court referee on Friday granted media organizations' request to unseal the file following a domestic abuse allegation by Ellison's former girlfriend. Ellison has denied that allegation and said there's nothing in his divorce file relevant to it.
The referee, Jason Hutchison, ruled that Ellison and his ex-wife Kim have no greater expectation of privacy than other citizens whose records are public. Hutchison set next Wednesday to unseal the record.
Ellison is running for attorney general against Republican Doug Wardlow. His attorney, Carla Kjellberg, said both Keith and Kim Ellison oppose "this effort to exploit the details of their personal life" for political gain.