Brazilian court halts return of boy to U.S., father says

[spanone]

shit, i thought this was a done deal....


Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (CNN) -- Brazil's high court has halted the return of a 9-year-old boy to the United States, his American father told CNN.

Thursday's ruling comes one day after a lower court unanimously upheld a decision last June by the 16th Federal Court in Rio de Janeiro, which ordered Sean Goldman returned to his home with his father, David Goldman, in New Jersey. That decision was made in accordance with the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of Child Abductions.

"It is very, very discouraging," David Goldman told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "I'm very disappointed. This ruling ... has nothing to do with the merits of the case."

It was unclear whether the high court's ruling is a permanent order or if Sean Goldman is being ordered to stay during the appeals process.

The custody battle began in 2004, when David Goldman's wife, Bruna Bianchi, took their 4-year-old son from their home in New Jersey 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.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/12/17/goldman.brazil.custody/index.html

[unabelladonna]

1. what a totally depressing situation...

ordinarily i'd say the child belongs with his mom....but don't you think the father should have custody? poor little child.