We see brutal cases of domestic violence and child abuse every day. Though there are advocacy groups and those actively trying to protect victims, it seems to be an uphill battle. A recent high-profile case of alleged abuse went to the Supreme Court in March 2022, with a mother trying to keep a 6-year-old son in the United States and away from his biological father in Italy.
Before her death in October 2022, which was reportedly due to a brain bleed, Narkis Golan relocated away from Milan with her son, Bradley, away from his father, Isacco Jacky Saada. Golan was born in Brooklyn, and returned to the US to be with her family. Golan alleged years of physical and verbal abuse at the hands of Saada, often in front of their son. Bradley's fate now lies in the hands of Federal Judge Ann Donnelly.
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Golan's family alleged Saada abused Bradley.
NBC News reported that Saada maintains a residence in Milan but has traveled to the US on weekends to see Bradley since his mother's death. According to court documents obtained by the outlet, Morin Golan, Narkis Golan's sister, claims after both supervised and unsupervised visits with Saada, the young boy returned with bruising and signs of physical harm. Saada has denied all abuse claims and is continuing his quest to take Bradley back to Milan.
Golan's family also alleges Saada would not allow Bradley to speak of his mother and attempted to gaslight him by saying his mother abused him and spoke disparagingly about him. Bradley was reportedly diagnosed with autism, and his mother's family claims it made it difficult for him to verbalize the alleged abuse and anything his father may have said to him.
Saada denies all allegations.
The father's attorneys denied Morin Golan's claims and said that if Bradley moved back to Italy to be with him, he would gladly let him keep up communication with his mother's family.
Court documents state Saada's native language isn't English, which may have led to some confusion. His attorney argued that Morin Golan's claims were a "suggestion that [Saada] is dismissive of his son's needs is made in bad faith and untrue."
Golan fought to keep her son in the US until her untimely death.
Golan, who was found dead in her Brooklyn apartment last fall (due to a brain bleed determined to be natural), fled to the US with Bradley in 2018, when she first alleged abuse, NBC News reported. Golan and Saada fought over custody in a case that made it to the Supreme Court, with all of the justices siding with Golan and making it easier for judges to reject the request for a child's return to a different country for fear of "grave risk of harm."
Since the case was handed back down to Donnelly, she has ordered Bradley to return to Italy with his father three times, but Golan's attorneys successfully appealed each time.
Bradley's future is uncertain if he returns to Italy.
Although Saada is fighting for his son to be with him in Italy, that may not be how things work out for the father and son. NBC News reported that according to a letter from Italian judge Daniela Bacchetta, it will be the chief public prosecutor at the Milan Juvenile Court who will ultimately decide where Bradley will go if he returns to Italy.
Laura Serra, a Rome-based attorney specializing in family law, submitted an opinion to the court on behalf of Morin Golan. She explained that if Donnelly sends Bradley back to Italy, he will likely be placed in a group home. She explained that he could be there for years with Italian authorities to determine the best family member to take care of him, which wouldn't necessarily be his father.
Zanetti Vitali and Romualdo Richichi, lawyers in Milan specializing in family law, filed an opinion on behalf of Saada and said Serra's claims are baseless and that foster care is a last resort in Italy. His attorneys also contend Saada is not a threat "because there was never any allegation of direct violence against him."
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It remains to be seen how Donnelly will rule.
NBC News reported that according to a court docket, Donnelly has asked for a childhood autism specialist to evaluate Bradely's current condition before she rules.
"It's shocking that a judge as knowledgeable as this judge is, because of her own experience in the courts, would make this claim that once these parents live apart there will be no more violence," Lynn Hecht Schafran, senior vice president at the women's legal defense organization Legal Momentum. It is unclear when Donnelly will issue a ruling in the case.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child), or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
