Truly ashamed of being Brazilian right now.
Bruna Bianchi Carneiro Ribeiro and David George Goldman got married and settled in Tinton falls, NJ. They had a child, Sean Richard Goldman, born in 2000. They had a very happy life.
On June 16, 2004, David drove Bruna, her parents and Sean to Newark airport. She was taking Sean to a 2-week vacation in Rio de Janeiro. Once she arrived in Brazil, she called David to tell him their love story was over and if he ever wanted to see Sean again, he'd have to come to Rio and, among many demands, sign off his paternal rights to Sean. It was a huge blow to David, who tried to reason with his wife, to no avail. David then started pursuing the matter legally, based on the
Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, which both Brazil and USA are signatory. The Convention says a child must be returned within a 6-week period to the place of habitual residence (NJ) which is the appropriate forum to make a decision on this case. Well, 5 years later, Sean is still in Brazil.
When in Brazil, Bruna got custody of Sean immediately in family court, claiming it was a consensual separation and David authorized Sean's permanence in Brazil (using a travel authorization given by David, something that every child traveling without one parents is required to have). She also got a unilateral divorce from David and married family law attorney Joao Paulo Lins e Silva, from the prominent Lins e Silva family of attorneys. The law office where he works, ironically, is specialized on Hague cases. His father is a
scholar on International Child abduction and Parental Alienation.
David was denied the right to see his son, as well as communication via email or telephone. The gifts he mailed were returned, unopened. The judicial battle taking years, mostly due to the slowness of the judiciary.
Last year, in August, Bruna died from complications after giving birth to a daughter by her second husband, Chiara. David thought the case was over, when he found out Bruna's new husband has filed to get custody of Sean and had it granted on the same day (even though the judiciary is really slow, isn't it weird?). David's case got the media attention, being shown on Today Show and Dateline, but the Brazilian family had an injunction in Brazil, saying nothing about the case could be published because the case ran in secrecy of justice. It wasn't until the New York Times published an article about this case in February of this year that the Brazilian newspapers picked it up. The maternal family fired back, with material based on hearsay and making up lies,
publicly slandering David, including a letter Bruna's new husband sent,
commenting on the couple's alleged intimate life. The family's
connections in high society and politics, and a massive PR job changed the coverage of this matter to "poor rich kid who lives with loving relatives is afraid of being taken to the US by a mean American who never pursued his son". Liars!
They also say Sean should not be separated from his baby sister since they are blood relatives... what about his father???? They say it's inhumane to take Sean from his posh life in Brazil... what about taking him from his father 5 years ago???
David's battle gathered many allies, such as SOS Hillary Clinton, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Senators Lautenberg and Menendez, among others. When President Obama asked president Lula about this case, Lula simply said it was in Federal Court and that Brazil has an independent Judiciary.
In February, David saw his son for the first time in years and saw their bond had not been broken.
Finally, on June 1st, 2009, Federal Judge Rafael Pereira Pinto, on a brilliant 82-page sentence, ruled that Sean was to return to the US. The family had 48 hours to present the boy to the American Consulate in Rio de Janeiro. The judge's decision says, among other things, that Sean has been brainwashed by the family into believing his father never tried to get him back, and also Sean said that it didn't matter whether he stayed in Brazil or returned to the US, that the judge would decide. But would only start repeating he wanted to stay after a psychologist sent by the stepfather questioned his response. David flew immediately to get his son.
But 17 hours before the deadline, the Supreme Court
issued a stay on the order, when prompted by a political party whose leader is friends of the family (wait a minute, isn't the judiciary independent?) and is questioning the "constitutionality of the Hague convention".
On Wednesday, June 10, the Supreme Court will decide this matter, and we don't know what their decision will be. Let's pray that justice will be done and Sean will be sent home.
I have attended the
DC Rally in March, as well as written my congressmen and senators in Brazil and USA. Can you help???
Please visit
BringSeanHome for more info and documents.
Pretty sweet, huh? Especially for a guy who's been divorced twice.
