Mexican, 11, in U.S. during custody battle

2:00 a.m. March 20, 2009

HUNTINGTON BEACH – A Mexican girl living in California will be allowed to stay while her parents wage a cross-border custody battle, a federal appeals court has ruled.

The decision Wednesday by a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a U.S. District Court decision that would have sent the 11-year-old girl to Mexico, where her father has lived.

The girl will be allowed to remain during the custody dispute because she's “settled.â€