An American father said he hopes to be bringing his 9-year-old son
home from Brazil on Thursday after a long international custody battle
that has involved U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and many
Brazilian courtrooms.
A Brazilian court on Wednesday ordered that the boy, Sean Goldman, be returned to the custody
of his father in the United States. The father, David Goldman, spoke to
CNN's "American Morning" on Thursday shortly after his plane touched
down in Brazil.
"I hope that this is the last trip I'll have to come down here," Goldman said.
In an earlier conversation with CNN's Anderson Cooper, Goldman said, "I hope this time I will be able to go down to Brazil
and come back home with my son. Hopefully the rule of law, god, nature,
human decency will be followed, and Sean will come home to reunite with
me, his only parent."
The Federal Regional Tribunal's 3-0 ruling
in Rio de Janeiro upheld a decision in June by the 16th Federal Court
in Rio, which ordered Sean returned to his home with his father in New
Jersey in accordance with the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil
Aspects of International Child Abduction.
But a Brazilian official with knowledge
of the case predicted Wednesday's order would be appealed. So far, the
boy's Brazilian family has filed 40 appeals, most of them procedural
but one substantive.
The Brazilian high court is to take up any
appeal on Thursday, said U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, who has
been pressing the case for his constituent. "Frankly, every possible
nuance has been appealed by the other side," he said.
The Supreme Court could still allow Sean to be returned to his father in the United States while it decides any appeal.
Goldman, a former model, said he had last spoken with his son in June, but they did not discuss the custody battle.
The well-publicized custody battle began in 2004 when his wife, Bruna Bianchi, took their 4-year-old son from their New Jersey
home to Rio de Janeiro for what was to have been a two-week vacation.
She never returned, instead remarrying there and retaining custody of
their son. She died last year in childbirth.
Goldman has argued
that, as the sole surviving parent, he should be granted custody. But
the boy's stepfather and other Brazilian relatives have argued that it
would be traumatizing to Sean to remove him from what has been his home
for most of his life.
The case has drawn high-profile input, including pressure for his return from Clinton. In a statement Wednesday, she said she was pleased to hear about the decision.
"We
appreciate the assistance and cooperation of the government of Brazil
in upholding its obligations under the Hague Convention on
International Child Abduction," Clinton said. "And it is my hope that
this long legal process is now complete and that the Goldman family
will be reunited quickly."
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