Brazil custody battle hangs in balance

I agree obviously there disregard for the treaty shows that we are not safe there.

If the United States will not put its foot down in this situation then we only show ourselves as burocratic cowards. I'm sorry but I'm tired of hearing our people stuck in other countries while we do nothing. If the child is unhappy and unhealthy then send the damn military over and get him. These are our kids and they are kidnapping them. This is disgusting. This country's government is disgusting. Why doesn't our country care about the child? Why would we rather avoid conflict than save our people? This isn't a war on oil, this is a child who is suffering. GET HIM THE HECK OUT OF THERE!

Hello! What does the child want?

As in many divorce cases, children all of a sudden become "property"!

I'm not condoning Brazil's actions, but I think the child is old enough to make his own decision about where he wants to live.

What do they say, "Possession is nine-tenths of the law?"

Wait a minute here, I am an American citizen happily married to a Brazilian man for over 4 years with 2 kids and I want to say not all Brazilians are bad. Unfortunatly Bruna was selfish for tricking her American husband and going back to Brazil with the son. Then to make it worse the man she married in Brazil is very rich and his father has high status with judges in Brazil and they have been paying them off. I am not sure if it is the step-father thats wants to the son, but I think it is Brunas parents. Her karma was she died giving birth to the other baby. Sean needs to be with his father in America. HE WAS BORN IN AMERICA AND HE IS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN. The problem is that the stepdad is paying off the judges. Brazil is a poor country and money and bribes can pay for anything!!!

Auzziegirl, how can we possibly know what this child wants? How can the child even know what he wants? He has been living with a family for 5 years that has NO BIOLOGICAL claim to him. He should never have been allowed to have custody of the boy in the first place. The child has not been legally adopted, in fact, the man who claims to be his stepfather fraudulently changed the boys Brazilian id to name himself as the biological father. This child has basically been abducted by a man who is not his father. And who knows what kinds of things that man has been telling this young boy all these years?

What would you want if your child was taken illegally to another country? What will this young boy think of this system which allowed him to live in this bizarre limbo?

Janesinthisworld

You know a lot of details. If this is true, it's still going to be an uphill battle for his biological dad to get custody at this point, especially since the so-called step-dad is bribing the judges and other officials in Brazil. This is third world corruption to the max.

Tell me, do you think the U.S. should or can intervene? In the past, they tend to stay out of these kinds of quarrels. What do you think should happen? What do you think will happen in the end?

Here is a killer detail for you. The "Step Dad" in question, is not just a lawyer. His name is João Paulo Lins e Silva (try saying that 3 times fast) and he is a highly respected lawyer who specializes in (brace yourself) Family Law, specifically International Custody and Kidnapping cases involving children. He has actually lectured in The Hague. That is why he has been able to drag this out so long. This guy is the Albert Einstein of international custody battles. What really kills me is this guy knows better than anybody that what he is doing is illegal but obviously does not care. This dirt bag is the height of hypocrisy. He needs to be disbarred and locked up FOREVER!!!!!

You obviously don't have children! This child is 9 years old. His desires don't mean much honestly. Who would know what he wants anyway. I'm sure that the Brazilian "family" speak for him and don't allow him to have an opinion. He remembers his father and that is all that matters. I don't care what kind of lifestyle he is living there. His father has been fighting for him for 5 years! The step father has no claim nor right to this child! Period!!!!!!! This child was kidnapped by his mother and he should be returned to his biological father. The mother would be in jail if it had happened in this country.

Return this child, and all the rest of the children being held in that (and all other) country. Children are not pawns or weapons!

I happen to have raised two children - and I give a nine year old more respect than you do obviously. How do you know his Brazilian "family" is speaking for him? Why do you immediately assume that he'd be better off in the USA? I don't think you care about the child, I think what's bothering you is that Brazil is daring to say "no" to the USA.

J.R. would you be saying this if it was one of YOUR children snatched????

I wonder how much economic aid (free money) we give Brazil? We give all these countries economic aid and all they do is snub us every chance they get even when it's absurd! BOMB THEM!!! that will get their attention.

She kidnapped her own son! How long had he been fighting for HIS son, that he didn't want taken away from him in the first place!

Then let someone kidnap your child and hold them for years. See how you like that.

J.R., if Goldman hadn't been trying to regain custody of his son for the past 5 years, I might agree with you. However, this young boy was basically abducted. He cannot stay with the very people who abducted him. He must be returned to his father.

So if one of your children were stolen from you the determining factor on whether they shoud be returned is the length of time the kidnapper can keep them from you? Why bother with adoption, just take a kid and keep them away from the natural parents for five years or so? I understand that any child would rather stay with the familiar, but there is a deeper moral question and this situation should never have become the norm for this child. The father should get him back, he never wanted to lose his son.

Believe it or not, in the Dateline presentation last fall, some idiot actually complained about no child support with a straight face. Forget the fact that the biological father has spent who knows how much on travel back and forth for 5 years, plus all legal costs that occured. It was an absurd accusation, since the boy should have been returned to his father immediately when the mother died.

The whole situation is disgusting. I really hope David Goldman gets his son back very soon.

What on earth are you talking about? Deploy special forces for one child? Yesterday's article said there are about 50 other kids in Brazil in the same situation. Unfortunately this kind of parental "kidnapping" happens all the time when one parent is from another country. The only reason this story has gotten so much publicity is because the father was an international model and knows how to work the media. The reporting on this story has also been deplorably one-sided. I heard on a news story a long time ago (and I admit I can't remember where) that the father got some kind of legal freeze on the ex-in-laws property and money they hold in the US. I believe he settled with them for a huge amount of money like $300K (he received from them). They never talk about that and I would like to know more.

Hey Deb, What if it was your child?

I don't know what I would do... I would be devastated for sure. What I was trying to say is that there has got to be more to this. We are only getting one side.

Deb,

The father battled for 4 years by his self!!!!! He has only recently received help from the media. If he was so influential as you say he would not have gone 4 years without seeing his child. In those 4 year he tried to contact our politicians for there help and finally Hilary Clinton(her one good thing) came to the aid. If it was my child I would want every special forces person to charge in. I agree that there is another side to the story but how can they justify shutting out THE father.

The United States should take the kid and talk to him. I don't care what people think but I know children that have more common sense than adults and this kid knows what he wants. If he says that he wants to stay with his father then give him back.

Five years or not, this father has been fighting to regain custody since the day his child was taken away from him (or at least once he learned that Mom had no intentions of coming back.)  For those who feel he shouldn't be removed from the former step-dad's household, are you saying it's ok to kidnap as long as the time kept from the other parent is substantial?  I've seen parents walk away from this type of conflict in lesser severe situations, but this man has been fighting relentlessly for five years now.  Give him his son back.

It's not that easy. Because the mother was a Brazilian national and wasn't a full citizen of the U.S., they also claim the boy as a Brazilian.

So you're saying that if my mother had kidnapped me back to Italy only because I have dual citicenship it is ok?

YUP! especially Italy which we don't have an extradition agreement with. You mother could gun down half the country when she was leaving and she would get to stay in Italy.

Wow. I'm not naive and I've had the US court system work against my family in a custody situation, but it is atrocious how easy it can be to just abduct a child. It's sad.

Totally agree Just_Another_Sheep that sanctions are needed. I am not sure exactly when or how but, for me, it feels like the U.S. is becoming one great big doormat for other countries to wipe their feet on. I don't want to come across as someone who thinks this country is the end all and be all and we can do no wrong because that is totally not me, however, I am concerned that we (the U.S.) do not seem to understand or care that a very large portion of what used to be American owned businesses are now owned by other nations or the fact that the national debt is killing us from the inside out or the fact that we do not adequately protect our borders among other big issues. So ok, those ARE big issues to tackle but this case with Mr. Goldman was not really a big issue. It has become one due to the actions of the deceased mother's family, the husband/lawyer and the Brazilian courts. I am sure that others would say that sanctions would be going too far but what if this was your child? Diplomacy has its place but sometimes a good butt kicking is what's needed. Less money in their coffers/wallets is a good beginning.

And that American supreme court judge needs to be whipped.

If you watch previous broadcasts of this story, it seems obvious Bruna didn't decide she was unhappy in the US with her American husband until her parents showed up for a visit. Likely their visit was for the sole purpose of manipulating Bruna to give up her American husband because they thought he was not good enough for her, persuaded her to return to Brazil and keep it hush-hush why, made up stories eventually to explain why, then pushed her into the new marriage. Too bad she wasn't strong enough to stand against that as now she has lost her life in the process. So now unhappy they lose their daughter for their stupid interference, they are not likely to give up their grandson and are behind a lot of the wrangling to keep him in Brazil. Thank God I don't have parents like that!

You are absolutely right. But of course this stupid Brazilian family is not thinking about that, they only want for "right now," and not in the future.

I'm from a loving culture in Italy but ther ARE BASTARDS everwhere and for one second I do not believe that this child is being loved. This is sick. I curse these people with all I have. The child needs to be where he wishes and it is looking like he doesn't want to be where he is. Get him out!

Monica, the experience he has had so far is BEING KIDNAPPED. How do you know what he has adapted to? I know I don't. I do know that a biological parent that has not given up his or her parental rights, should have custody of their child(ren) barring any abusive behavior. Parental rights trump grandparents rights and certainly this Brazilian interloper has ZERO rights when it comes to this child. He should be thankful for the child he had with his deceased wife and return Mr. Goldman's son to him immediately before karma decides to deal him the hand it dealt his wife.

Yes, Monica, I agree with you. I think there should be international laws that state that, if you kidnap a child, and can avoid arrest for "x" number of years, you should be able to keep the child. In fact, I think there should be 1-day statute of Limitation on all crimes. If you can avoid arrest for any period of time, you should be rewarded for it by getting off scott free. After all, YOU know what's best for the child, right ? Better to live in a bannana republic with an unrelated man with his natural mother gone, then to come to the U.S. and be with his natural father. I'll bet you work for some child welfare agency.

Jeff, aside from the sarcasm, I feel the same way. A crime is a crime, period. A murderer can be put away YEARS after committing the crime because why? S/he STILL COMMITTED IT.

DON'T MAKE COMMENTS LIKE YOU DID UNLESS YOU KNOW THE FACTS MONICA!!! PEOPLE LIKE YOU IRRITATE THE HELL OUT OF ME, CAUSE YOUR EXACTLY THE TYPE LAWYERS TRY TO CONVINCE AND PLAY OFF THE DUMBNESS OF. The welfare of the child was never taken into consideration when HE WAS KIDNAPPED FROM the father. You don't say your going on vacation and then announce that you're never coming home. In our country this is called PARENTAL ABDUCTION!!!

Johnny, don't be rude.

Monica, you cannot assume this young boy has had a happy ending life in Brazil. We only hear from the maternal family that he is happy in this home. Who knows what kinds of things the family has been telling him. What we do know for sure is that this boy was illegally taken and has been illegally held by a man who has no biological or legal claim to him. Goldman has been trying since day 1 to get his son back.

Our government definitely needs to grow some balls. We do nothing against North Korea and now they have one of ours. And we let foreigners kidnap our kids. How do you know that this child isn't being abused? The thought of being forced away from a parent like that makes me so sad. It hurts my heart that bureaucracy comes before justice.

not another "it's all Bush's fault" give it a rest! It rained today on my picnic....must be Bush's fault. That is what you liberals sound like now! Blaming Bush for EVERYTHING under the sun. The man must have been the most influential president ever to be the cause of ALL the worlds woes!

Heelll yeaaahhh!!!!!!! If this sorry excuse for a court rules against goldman, let's send some delta force soldiers into this lame excuse for a country and take him out ourselves. Brazil, you suck!!!

I want to know what the heck is wrong with our Government why hasn't our government demanded the return of an american citizen. Why hasn't our government provided the support David Goldman needs. This ordeal should have been over years ago. I am sorry people but when a small corrupt political party has more to say than two governments me thinks its time for everyone to write their senators and the president. Shame on us for not doing it sooner. Shame on Hillary Clinton for not making a greater stand on this. Shame, shame shame.