What country – and what family – does Sean Goldman, a nine-year-old boy at the center of an international custody dispute, prefer? After a bruising four-year custody battle over him and if his Brazilian relatives get their way, it may all come down to Sean’s answering that question in a Brazilian appeals court.
In 2004, his mother Bruna took Sean to Brazil and never returned. After marrying another man in Brazil, she died, resulting in the current custody battle. According to this news account from Brazil’s Folha newspaper, after losing custody of Sean on December 25, Sean’s Brazilian relatives have one more legal avenue open to them to regain custody of the boy from his American father, David Goldman.
Illustrating the depth of emotion surrounding the case, Folha reporter Diana Brito quotes Sean’s maternal grandmother as saying:
I only regret the response of the Brazilian courts. I’m very upset, very sad and concerned about Sean’s little head. He left a small sister here. Every time she passes his bedroom door, she asks: “Where’s brother, where’s brother?” I always respond by saying that he’s traveling. They separated two siblings. That’s cruel.
So what can the family do to return Sean to Brazil?:
Sean’s Brazilian family said they would continue the court battle to regain custody of the boy. The family says it’s considering entering an appeal with the Superior Court [the highest appeals court in Brazil] for the boy to be heard. His Brazilian relatives hope that Sean will state that he would rather live in Brazil, and based on this, they hope to regain custody.
By Diana Brito
Translated By Brandi Miller
December 31, 2009
Brazil – Folha – Original Article (Portuguese)
Rio de Janeiro: Silvana Bianchi, grandmother of nine-year-old Sean Goldman, said on Dec. 30 that she would not make any quick judgments about the request for compensation by American David Goldman, the child’s father, for $500,000 (about 870,000 reals). The foreigner’s lawyer said yesterday that the costs being sought from the boy’s Brazilian family would cover David’s expenses since the beginning of the legal battle for custody of his son.
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