ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP)  -- Former Gov. James E. McGreevey will be first on the witness stand when his divorce case resumes Tuesday, a day after talks with his estranged wife broke down, dashing hopes that New Jersey's former first couple could avoid the spectacle of a messy public trial.

McGreevey will be called by his own lawyer, Stephen Haller, as testimony on financial matters begins Tuesday morning. McGreevey and his wife, Dina Matos McGreevey, and their lawyers spent all the day in negotiations on Monday, but failed to resolve their differences.

``We made no progress today,'' said Haller.

McGreevey slipped out the front door of the courthouse, while a gaggle of reporters and camera crews waited out back. Matos McGreevey and her lawyer, John Post, said nothing as they left through the back door.

Court spokeswoman Sandra Thaler-Gerber said the judge would begin taking testimony unless an unexpected, last-minute settlement can be reached on alimony, child support and the division of financial assets and liabilities. She said Superior Court Judge Karen Cassidy would meet with both lawyers first thing in the morning in a last-ditch effort to forge an agreement.

``The judge spent the better part of the afternoon trying to resolve the matter,'' Thaler-Gerber said. ``It does not appear as if it was successful.''

New Jersey grants child support based on the income and earning ability of both parents and how much time the child spends with each. McGreevey currently pays $2,500 a month in unallocated support, meaning amounts for child support and alimony aren't specified separately.

Haller said he is arguing against alimony, saying a four-year marriage does not qualify a spouse for such payments. There was no word from Post on how much Matos McGreevey is seeking.

The estranged couple met for more than three days behind closed doors last week before hashing out a deal on custody of their only child, 6-year-old Jacqueline.

That agreement remains under seal at the judge's order.

New Jersey's former first couple split in 2004, shortly after James McGreevey resigned from his first term in office following a nationally televised speech in which he acknowledged being ``a gay American'' and said he had an affair with a male staffer. The staffer has denied the affair and claims he was sexually harassed by McGreevey.

The McGreeveys have been separated for nearly as long as they were living together, having split when both moved out of the governor's mansion and into separate residences.

Two tell-all books and a series of public squabbles over lifestyle and custody issues followed.

Besides alimony and child support, Matos McGreevey is seeking additional money based on her claim of marriage fraud; she says she was duped into marrying a closeted gay man who needed the cover of a wife to advance his political career.

McGreevey, 50, now openly gay and living with a male partner, is studying at an Episcopal seminary.

Matos McGreevey, 41, recently has been seen on cable television as a guest analyst.

In addition to the McGreeveys, the former governor's partner, Mark O'Donnell, and two accountants are on the witness list for the financial portion of the trial.

A former campaign aide may be called during the last phase of the trial, when Matos McGreevey tries to prove her fraud claim.

The aide, Teddy Pedersen, claims to have had sexual encounters with the McGreeveys. McGreevey says the encounters happened; his wife denies them.

Her lawyer is trying to bar Pedersen's testimony.

Haller estimated that the trial would last two weeks.

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