Kentucky appeals court says child support case for ex-Gov. Matt Bevin's son can continue

Monica Kast, Lexington Herald-Leader on Apr 9, 2026

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Kentucky Court of Appeals judge has denied former Gov. Matt Bevin’s request to overturn a ruling from last year that allowed his son to file for child support.

In an opinion issued April 8, Court of Appeals Judge Will Moynahan said there is a legitimate question in the case if Jonah Bevin, who is now 19 and one of four children adopted by Matt Bevin and his ex-wife Glenna, is allowed to file in the couple’s divorce case for retroactive support. That is something the family court must address, Moynahan wrote.

But the opinion also declined to overrule the 2025 decision that allowed Jonah Bevin to intervene in the case, and said Matt Bevin’s filing was not the “appropriate avenue for relief” from that order.

“Moreover, the family court has only determined that Jonah was allowed to intervene. Jonah’s ability to intervene and the family court’s authority to award child support are ‘two distinct concepts’ regardless of how interwoven they have now become,” Moynahan wrote.

If Matt and Glenna Bevin object to any rulings surrounding child support given to their son, when that ruling is made, they can file an appeal, Moynahan wrote. The Bevins may also make their case for why they don’t believe Jonah Bevin is entitled to child support at upcoming hearings, rather than filing additional legal petitions, he said.

Wednesday’s opinion is the latest development in a yearlong battle between Matt and Glenna Bevin, and their son Jonah, who intervened in the couple’s divorce case to seek financial support. Jonah Bevin has said his parents — whose divorce was finalized last year — abandoned him at an abusive youth facility in Jamaica when he was 16 and are no longer financially supporting him.

He has filed for financial support to further his education, he and his lawyers have said. While he attended and graduated from Veritas Mission Academy in Florida in 2024 after returning to the U.S., a school that bills itself as providing “classical education from a Christian worldview,” Jonah and his lawyers have said the diploma is worthless, as the school wasn’t accredited.

“We are pleased with the Court’s decision yesterday,” said Jonah Bevin’s lawyer, John Helmers, in a statement. “It seems that Matt and Glenna will spare no expense to avoid court. Despite that, we are confident that Jonah will be given his day in court after the appellate courts dispense with the meritless claims raised by the Bevins.”

Jonah Bevin is one of four children the Bevins adopted from Ethiopia. They also have five biological children. Glenna Bevin filed for divorce in May 2023 from the one-term former governor.

Matt and Glenna Bevin’s divorce was finalized in March 2025, and a month later, Jonah Bevin filed to intervene in their ongoing divorce case, asking for retroactive child support and financial assistance.

Latest developments in the Bevin court case

Last month, the former governor was held in contempt of court for repeatedly failing to provide the court with his personal financial information, which is needed to settle the matter of child support.

Glenna Bevin had previously provided her financial documents, but Matt Bevin missed the deadline set by the court. At a hearing, he interrupted the judge several times and said he was attempting to provide the information but needed more time to collect the records. He said he did not have traditional documentation of income, and instead had been living off revenue from the sales of property and savings.

Additionally, Bevin had been ordered to appear in person for the hearing, but he attended by Zoom. Bevin told Jefferson Family Court Judge Angela Johnson he had to travel out of state for his ex-wife’s father’s funeral, and was driving with several of their children.

Johnson told Bevin he had been asked repeatedly over several months to provide the information, which is common in family court cases involving child support, and as a result, was in contempt of the court. An arrest warrant was issued for Matt Bevin, which would have resulted in 60 days in the Jefferson County Jail if he did not pay a $500 bond and provide the information to the court, although it was later recalled.

Bevin’s lawyer has also made a motion to recuse Johnson from the case, saying she was using her role in the case to garner media attention and made false claims about the former governor. That must go before the Kentucky Supreme Court for a ruling.