Mar 16, 2009 7:21 pm US/Eastern
N.J. Man Battles To Bring Son Home From Brazil
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) ―
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David Goldman has been fighting since 2004 to bring his son Sean home to New Jersey from Brazil.
CBS
A united front in an international custody battle: the New Jersey Legislature is giving its support to a Tinton Falls man who wants to bring his son home.
The strain was evident on David Goldman as he took time from his quest to get his 8-year-old son Sean back from Brazil. He came to Trenton to accept the heartfelt solidarity offered by the New Jersey state Senate.
"This is more than a humanitarian issue, this is an issue about justice, and we need to make sure justice is done," said Sen. Joseph Kyrillos.
The senate resolution comes after a whirlwind weekend for Goldman. He took a trip to Brazil where he was briefly reunited with his son under what he calls arduous conditions. He received a phone call of support from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and news that President Barack Obama had brought up Sean's case with Brazil's president at a White House meeting.
"I hope it helps. I hope it gets the two countries a greater understanding of what needs to be done," Goldman told CBS 2.
If these developments indeed represent any momentum for Goldman, it's been a long time coming. His effort has been going on for nearly five years, since Sean's mother took the boy to Brazil in 2004 and married another man. After she died a year ago, the man's family decided to keep Sean, and has been caring for him ever since.
"I have been fighting a tireless effort and I will never give up until I am reunited with my boy," Goldman said.
The state Senate urged President Obama and Secretary Clinton to push for Sean's return, but it may take more than diplomacy. Goldman is waiting for a ruling from a Brazilian federal court and at this point he has no sense when that ruling may come.
Goldman is also asserting his rights under the Hague Convention on child abductions, which he says favors custody for the biological parent.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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