BRAZILIAN JUDGE HALTS BOY’S RETURN

Nine-year-old Sean Goldman won't be returning to his Tinton Falls home today, following a stay issued by a Brazilian Supreme Court justice yesterday, according to multiple news reports.

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The judge suspended a lower court order granting custody of the boy to his father, David Goldman, after an appeal by Sean's Brazilian stepfather and maternal family.

The lower court had ruled Monday that Sean be turned over to the U.S. Consulate in Rio de Janeiro to be reunited with his father after a five-year custody battle.

From today's Asbury Park Press:

The decision by Justice Marco Aurelio was in response to a request
by a small Brazilian political party that filed the emergency request
because it believes the boy should stay in Brazil, the supreme court
said on its Web site.

The justice's decision is not the last word: The Progressive Party's
request must now be heard by the full court. No date has been set, and
scheduling hearings before Brazil's highest court can take anywhere
from days to months.

From the New York Times:

Reached at a Rio hotel late Tuesday, Mr. Goldman called the Supreme Court stay “heartbreaking and disgraceful.”

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