Cevallos Sarzosa v. Vergara Enriquez, No. 25-40052 (5th Cir. Sept. 22, 2025)

Beck Redden secured an important appellate victory in the Fifth Circuit in a complex pro bono case involving international parental rights under the Hague Convention.

Having represented our client since the initial district court proceedings, our team successfully defended against an appeal seeking reversal of the district court’s ruling, which ultimately sought the return of the child to Ecuador. Our team successfully demonstrated that the child’s habitual residence was in the U.S. and that the child’s father’s coercive actions had temporarily prevented the mother and child from returning home to their residence in the U.S. The Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court’s ruling, granting full victory to Beck Redden and allowing mother and child to remain together.

Congratulations to Maryam Ghaffar and Anson Fung, who were supported by partners Nicholas Bruno and Alex Roberts, for their outstanding advocacy on this case, which underscored Beck Redden’s dedication to providing legal aid to disadvantaged community members and their families, as well as their skill in successfully navigating intricate cross-border legal disputes through the appeal.