Playing by Different Rules: The Disclosure Test
Going through a divorce is a difficult personal matter. The details of Cathie Rigby’s 2001 divorce case are private, and they should remain that way. Her past personal relationships have no bearing on her ability to serve Lincoln County.
What does have a bearing on her fitness for office, however, is her willingness to be honest on an official government application.
The Integrity Test
In January 2026, applicants for the Lincoln County commissioner vacancy were asked a very clear, unavoidable question: Had they ever been involved in civil litigation or proceedings of any kind, whether as a plaintiff, defendant, or party in interest? (See screenshot below).
Divorce is a civil proceeding. Yet, Rigby chose to completely omit her 2001 Utah divorce case from her sworn application—just as she omitted her bankruptcies and judgments and tax liens. Instead, she only listed times she had sued others.
The Contrast: Other Applicants Followed the Rules
This omission wasn’t a misunderstanding of the paperwork. We know this because of how other candidates handled the exact same question.
Out of the 23 applicants for the 2026 Commissioner vacancy, three other individuals— Chris Chandler, Mikel Diwan, and Valerie Stephan—also had prior divorce proceedings. When faced with the application question, they followed the rules and honestly disclosed their cases.
Rigby, however, chose concealment.
A Question of Character
When a candidate believes the rules of transparency apply to their competitors but not to themselves, it raises a fundamental red flag. If she is willing to sanitize her legal history on an official application for public office, how can voters trust her to be transparent with county business behind closed doors?
Review the Source Documents
We believe in full public transparency. Below are the unedited, original court records so voters can see the facts she left off her application.
Official Court Records (Public Docket Only)
NOTE: The divorce docket includes a notation dated April 1, 2012 stating: “Case Classification changed from PUBLIC to PRIVATE.” According to Utah State Courts, “the dockets in divorce, custody and protective order cases are public, but most of the documents in those cases are private.” The investigator informed us that even he can’t get access to the court records marked as private.
You can download the office Divorce Decree from here.
