Yahoo: A Brazilian court on Wednesday ordered a 9-year-old boy at the center of a custody dispute handed over to U.S. authorities so he could return with his father to the United States, a lawyer for the father said.

New Jersey resident David Goldman has been fighting for custody of his son, Sean, since his then-wife took the boy on vacation to her native Brazil in 2004, then divorced him and stayed there in what Goldman calls a case of child abduction.

"The court today decided that the boy must be delivered to the U.S. Consulate in Rio de Janeiro in 48 hours," lawyer Ricardo Zamariola told Reuters.

Federal court officials could not immediately be reached for confirmation.

Zamariola said Brazil's Supreme Court could still block the boy's return if it acted this week on a motion for habeas corpus that has already been filed by his Brazilian family. Court cases often drag on for years in Brazil due to multiple appeals.

"We've been surprised in this case in the past. I prefer to wait and see what happens by Friday," he said, adding that David Goldman would fly to Brazil on Thursday.

Local courts in Brazil have declined to Grant Goldman custody, despite Brazil and the United States being signatories to an international treaty aimed a curbing cases of child abduction by parents.

Goldman's case threatened to disrupt Brazil-U.S. ties this year after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Brazil's government to push for the boy's return. Lawyers for the Brazilian family have said the U.S. ambassador pressured Brazil's government to get involved in the case.

Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution this year asking Brazil's government to return Sean.

Read more hot stories Moms Are Talking About.