Strollerderby : David Goldman

Breaking News: Brazilian Custody Case Suspended

SunnyChanel — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 06:54:00 GMT

The saga continues. The man who was to be reunited with his son after years of waiting and litigation will have to, sadly, wait longer. David Goldman was to regain custody of his nine-year-old son on Wednesday – a judgment issued by a Federal judge. But a Brazilian supreme court has suspended the court order due to an emergency request filed a small political party. They made the claim that the whole scenario had turned into a political matter. Due to this injunction, the Brazilian court must now go convene for a full trial - which could take days or even months. (For a synopsis of the saga check out Brett’s post here.)

According to the AP:

“The Progressive Party argued that the boy should not be returned to the United States in such an "abrupt manner." It said he should stay in Brazil because he has been living in the country for five years and would be stripped of his current family environment of "happiness, love and comprehension," the supreme court statement said.

The party also said the boy could suffer psychological damage because of the order to immediately put him in the care of his biological father, and that the outcome of the case reflected an interest in "prioritizing international relations over the fundamental rights of a Brazilian native" boy, the supreme court statement said."

I can’t imagine being in Goldman’s shoes. Being so close to getting your son back and yet delayed once again. What would you do if you were in his shoes?

Source

Breaking News - New Jersey Dad Wins Brazilian Custody Case

Brett Singer — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:37:00 GMT

This is a strange story but the ending appears to be a happy one.

The details, from CNN:

- Sean's parents divorced and mom moved him to Brazil in 2004

- Mom died in childbirth in 2008, leaving Sean with stepfather

- Sean Goldman, 8, to be turned over to U.S. Consulate on Wednesday

Hilary Clinton even referred to the case yesterday, which is unusual. But so is the story itself.

If you want to get depressed before you get happy, read this letter that Sean's father, David Goldman, wrote at BringSeanHome.org. There's even ('natch) a Facebook group, with over 40,000 members. One more from the "get angry before you get happy" file: Sean's stepdad's lawyer compared the decision to allow Sean to return to the United States with being sent to a "Nazi concentration camp," according to a post in that Facebook group.

David Goldman is supposed to arrive in Rio de Janeiro this morning to pick up his son. Something tells me he won't be all that interested in sight-seeing.

Source: CNN

UPDATE: President Obama Issues Statement About Dr. George Tiller

Babble Talk Radio Live - Friday May 29 - Listen Here

Dad Battles for Return of Son Taken to Brazil

SunnyChanel — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:02:00 GMT

This morning I was reading my morning papers, drinking coffee and watching the morning news (while also wrestling with my 2-year old…yeah, I’m a mean multi-tasker) when my heartstrings were tugged by the tale of David Goldman and his battle for his son on the Today Show.

In a nutshell, the story goes a little something like this, four years ago, his wife and his 4-year old son embarked on a 2-week vacation to Brazil where David’s wife and mother of his child Sean was from. Once they landed, she called David and told him she wasn’t coming back, ever. He attempted to obtain a custody heading, which according to the Hague Treaties, his son would have to return to the states to attend. But the Brazilian courts were late in responding and in turn the New Jersey courts ruled that too much time had past and that Sean should just stay with his mom in Brazil.

His wife remarried, to a “well-connected” Brazilian lawyer and last month she died in childbirth. Naturally, David assumed that since his wife deceased, that he would then get his son back. But it turns out the new husband had filed a petition to have David’s name struck from Sean’s birth certificate and replaced with his own. Which would, as David said “exclude me from ever even being my son’s father…So far, the Brazilian judicial system is letting him do this.” The boy is a US citizen and the question is how could a man that has no blood relation to him, claim sole guardian when his real father is ready, willing and able to raise his own son. To find out more about David’s plight you can check out the site here.