Clinton thrilled by David Goldman reuniting with son Sean

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton this morning praised authorities for reuniting a New Jersey man with his 9-year-old son in Brazil, resolving a five-year custody battle that turned into an international political and media incident.

David Goldman and his son, Sean, left Rio de Janeiro this morning en route to Tinton Fall, N.J. They were chased by journalists and photographers who have followed an odyssey that was as much political as familial.

“I am thrilled that 9-year-old Sean Goldman was reunited with his father, David Goldman, earlier today in Rio de Janeiro and that they are flying home to New Jersey,” Clinton said in a statement.

“I want to thank everyone who helped bring this long process to a successful conclusion, including a number of members of Congress and many concerned parties both here and in Brazil. We also appreciate the assistance and cooperation of the government of Brazil in upholding its obligations under the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction,” she said.

Sean was brought to Brazil in 2004 by his mother, Bruna Bianchi, Goldman’s then-wife. Bianchi divorced Goldman and remarried. Goldman began legal efforts to get his son.

Bianchi died last year and her husband, Joao Paulo Lins e Silva, a prominent attorney, won temporary custody of Sean. Despite numerous court findings in favor of Goldman, Lins e Silva was able to maneuver through the Brazil legal system to delay turning over the boy.

After five years of rulings and appeals, the Supreme Court’s chief ruled Tuesday that Sean be returned to Goldman. On Wednesday, the Brazilian family dropped its legal challenges.

The battle between Goldman and the powerful Brazilian family was chronicled by the news media and became a cause celebre, eventual enlisting American politicians.

‘David Goldman is one terrific guy,” New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg said this morning on the Fox News Channel. “It won’t be long before [Sean] is a regular American boy.”

-- Michael Muskal
twitter.com/LATimesmuskal