Dec 29, 2009 9:22 pm US/Central
Goldman: Son Recognizes His N.J. Home
Lawyers For Family Say They Will Push Forward With Custody Request From Brazilian Grandmother
RED BANK, N.J. (CBS) ―
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Sean Goldman, 9-year old boy, hugging his Brazilian stepfather Joao Paulo Lins e Silva, arrives at U.S. Consulate to be reunited with his father David Goldman, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Dec. 24, 2009.
AP
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Photograph of David Goldman and his son Sean.
BringSeanHome.org
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Sean Goldman, 9-year old boy, hugging his Brazilian stepfather Joao Paulo Lins e Silva, arrives at U.S. Consulate to be reunited with his father David Goldman, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Dec. 24, 2009.
AP
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David Goldman (R) gives the thumbs up as he embarks --followed by his nine-year-old son Sean-- on the plane that will take them back to the US, at the international airport of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil December 24, 2009.
VANDERLEI ALMEIDA/AFP/Getty Images
The boy at the center of a five-year international custody fight was back at home in New Jersey on Tuesday -- but not for long, if his Brazilian relatives have their way.
David Goldman believes he has his son back for good, even though the boy's Brazilian grandmother and stepfather said on Tuesday they're pursuing an appeal.
Sean Goldman's real father said his son has genuine memories of the home he left five years ago, reports CBS station WCBS-TV.
"He said, 'where's our home?'" David Goldman said before breaking down. "Just to hear him say 'our home' … I waited five years for that."
David Goldman said he's upset at the circus that surrounded the custody hand-over in Brazil. His attorney said the South American relatives' decision to keep up the legal struggle could impact their visitation rights.
"Part of what we are going to wait and see is whether or not they are going to exercise good judgment," Patricia Apy said. "And go forward acting like normal grandparents. And the filing is disturbing and it seems to evidence a desire to continue the litigation rather than work collaboratively for Sean's best interest."
And legal experts said the appeal seems to be more a measure of frustration than a realistic play to regain custody.
"I don't think that now that the child is here that there would be any way that he would be … that the grandmother could accomplish getting him back to Brazil," custody expert Martha Cohen Stine said.
David Goldman said he's open to a relationship with his ex-wife's relatives and even said he embraced his ex-mother-in-law during the handover.
"I gave her a hug. She squeezed my cheek. And he needed to see that. I don't know what they have told him. I only had heard things and a few things he had said to me, but he needed to see love," David Goldman said.
David Goldman said Sean will likely be enrolled in public school after he's tested for grade. And that he appears to love the cold weather – lucky for him.
It's estimated David Goldman has run up as much as $500,000 in legal bills, for which the boy's Brazilian relatives could be liable.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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