NEW YORK (WPIX)—
The Brazilian relatives of 9-year-old Sean Goldman said Tuesday they will fight to regain custody of the child.Lawyers for the boy said they will move forward with a request from his Brazilian grandmother, Silvana Bianchi, to allow the boy to make his own wishes known in court. The request was denied, but the Supreme court has reportedly not issued a final ruling on that matter. The court does not formally meet again until February.
Last week, a Supreme court judge ordered Sean returned to his father, David Goldman, who resides in Tinton Falls, New Jersey.
Upon the decision by the judge last week, the Brazilian family said they would end their battle to keep the boy in Brazil. However, on Tuesday, their lawyers said was the family was only obeying the judge's order.
"Sean's early delivery does not end the legal process," the lawyers said in a statement. "The legal process in Brazil is not over."
David has been working tirelessly for the past five years to get his son returned to the United States. Bruna Bianchi, David's ex-wife, took the child to her native Brazil in 2004 on what was supposed to be a two-week vacation.
She later remarried and died during child birth last year. Her Brazilian husband argued that he should have custody of Sean.
Over the summer, the boy's Brazilian family said Sean met with a psychologist and stated he wanted to stay there. Sean told the psychologist that if he was sent back to live with his father in New Jersey, he will "break down totally," according to a transcript of the interview with the child.
Sean also repeatedly said throughout the interview, "I want to stay here in Brazil." It's not clear if the psychologist was appointed by the courts or paid for by the child's step-family.
Over the summer, a lower court in Brazil had ruled that Sean be returned to the U.S. However, that decision was later put on hold by a Supreme Court justice based on a petition that argued removing Sean from his current family environment would hurt him.
