Trial Date Set for Lawsuit Against Torry Hansen, Adoptive Mother Who Sent Son Back to Russia UPDATED

We covered Justin Hansen’s case back in January 2011 in which Torry Hansen’s adoption agency WACAP sought temporary custody of Justin and tried to install a Tennessee adoptive parent, Jennifer Terhune, who never met him as his guardian.  The NCFA inserted themselves into thus case and was designated as the liaison with the people supposedly taking care of Justin in Russia. Russia is requesting $2,500-per-month child support payments.

Now a preliminary hearing has been set for October 27, 2011. Two motions will be heard–a Rule 12 motion to dismiss the case and a motion to amend the petition.

January 3, 2012 “is the day when attorneys representing Torry and Nancy Hansen and a Washington state adoption agency will appear in Bedford County Circuit Court for trial. ”

Torry and Nancy must be under the Adoption Agency Witness Protection Program.

“Under seal

Documents filed in January related to the case indicated that a Russian court was demanding $2,500 a month in child support from the Hansens. A Russian official claimed at the time that Torry was refusing to give up her parental rights.

The case was transferred to Bedford County Juvenile Court last August, and the Hansens’ new attorney, Sandra Smith of Murfreesboro, filed a motion two months ago to gain access to the sealed documents in the case. Both sides had said it would be unreasonable to hold the proceedings so close to the original trial date of Sept. 15.

Attempts to reach attorneys on both sides of the case by the T-G have been unsuccessful. Many, if not all of the documents in the case are currently under seal.”

“The Hansens had previously been represented by Shelbyville attorney Trisha Henegar, and then later by Jennifer Thompson of Nashville.”
Trial date of Jan. 3 set for Hansen case
[Shelbyville Times-Gazette 10/12/11 by Brian Mosely]

Torry Hansen is a registered nurse. She is believed to have moved from Tennessee.  She  has a current, active license to practice in California until 1/31/12, Trinity County, according to the California Department of Consumer Affairs Board of Registered Nursing.

Update: “An adoption agency, the World Association for Children and Parents, filed the lawsuit after Nancy Hansen put then- 7-year-old Artyom Savelyev [aka Justin Hansen] alone on an airline flight to Moscow in April 2010. She sent with him a note from her daughter and Artyom’s adoptive mother, Torry Hansen, which said the boy was violent and she no longer wanted to keep him.

“Attorneys for the Renton, Wash.-based adoption agency said they filed the lawsuit because no one was investigating claims that the Hansens abandoned and endangered the child.”

“If the lawsuit is not settled by the end of this year, a trial date of it was scheduled for Jan. 3, 2012, in Bedford County Circuit Court.”

Trial of lawsuit set in return of Russian boy
[Seattle Post-Intelligencer 10/13/11]

Update 2: ” World Association for Children and Parents, has now brought a lawsuit against the mother in a Tennessee court.

A judge will decide whether the case will move forward next Thursday.

“What we’re seeking is to have [Hansen] held accountable,” Larry Crain, the Nashville attorney representing WACAP, tells SW.

“She is still the legal parent,” Crain says of Hansen. According to the attorney, and common sense, buying your child a one-way ticket out of here is not the correct procedure to nullify an adoption. Therefore, WACAP argues, Hansen is still obligated to financially support the boy, known as Artyom in Russia and renamed Justin in the U.S.

Now 9, the child is back at a Russian orphanage. Russian authorities have declared him ineligible for adoption. “As you might expect, the emotional trauma makes it difficult to place him,” Crain says.
Contrary to the horror stories Americans have heard about Russian orphanages, Crain says Artyom is being well taken care of. Still, WACAP wants Hansen compelled to set up a trust fund for the boy.”

“Neither Hansen nor her attorney could be reached for comment. Crain says he believes Hansen has moved to California. She has filed a motion to dismiss the case. If the judge rules against her next Thursday, the case is supposed to proceed to trial in January.”

“WACAP’s lawsuit may be, in part, an attempt to help American agencies regain credibility. But Crain maintains WACAP’s primary goal is look after Artyom. “WACAP felt it had a responsibility to the child,” Crain says. He adds that the agency would have also stepped in to help when the boy was in the U.S. The note Hansen pinned to the boy said he was “violent” and “psychopathic.” But according to Crain, Hansen never reached out to the agency. ”

Yes, they are  !

Torry Hansen, Mom Who Sent 7-Year-Old Back to Russia, Faces Lawsuit by Renton Agency
[Seattle Weekly 10/21/11 by Nina Shapiro]

Update 3: Pfft! What a surprise! NOT!They don’t want to air their dirty laundry in public!

“A dispute over whether or not the proceedings should be open to the public and the press has resulted in the postponment of a hearing on two motions in the case against the family that put an adopted son on a one-way flight to Russia, creating an international incident.

A trial date for the lawsuit has been set for Jan. 3, but Circuit Judge Lee Russell had been scheduled to consider two separate motions related to the case this morning. One was a motion by the attorney for Nancy and Torry Hansen to dismiss the case outright, the other was a motion to amend the petition.

After some discussion, Russell informed media representatives that the hearing has now been rescheduled for Nov. 21 — and it will now begin with a consideration of whether or not the hearings on the other two items should be open to the public. Media representatives will be allowed to bring legal representation to make their case for opening the proceedings.”

Hansen hearing postponed as public access debated
[Shelbyville Times-Gazette 10/27/11 by John I. Carney]

Update 4: “Crews from three Nashville television stations and a reporter from a Nashville newspaper, along with the Times-Gazette, were present Thursday morning to cover the hearing. However, a motion had been filed late Wednesday by Smith asking that Thursday’s hearing be closed to the media.

“The mere fact that the matter may be newsworthy should not override the parties’, including those of the minor child, right to confidentiality,” states the motion, which complains of a “bombardment of calls” from media outlets to which Smith has refused to respond, and “numerous and aggressive demands from the media for access to the Court file.”

New date Nov. 21
After some discussion, Russell informed the media representatives that the hearing has now been rescheduled for Nov. 21 — and it will now begin with a consideration of whether or not the hearings on the other two items should be open to the public. Media representatives will be allowed to bring legal representation to make their case for opening the proceedings.

The judge said the judicial system must balance the public’s need to know against the participants’ right to privacy, especially in a case involving a juvenile.

Russell told the media that, out of fairness, motions related to scheduling or other similar issues from this point forward will not be put under seal, so that the media and the public will at least know where the matter is in the legal pipeline.

The delay of this week’s motions to November should not affect the schedule for the actual trial, said the judge, since attorneys for both sides are continuing to gather evidence and work on the case.”

Hansen hearing postponed as public access debated
[Shelbyville Times-Gazette 10/28/11 by John I. Carney]

Update 5: “A 9-year-old Russian boy abruptly returned to his home country by a Tennessee woman who adopted him will get his day in court with the public and media watching when a lawsuit seeking child support goes to trial, a judge ruled Monday.

Torry Hansen was living in Shelbyville in April 2010 when she sent the then-7-year-old adopted son, called Justin, back alone on a plane to Moscow with a note saying she didn’t want to be his mother anymore because he had psychological problems.

The World Association for Children and Parents is suing Hansen, seeking child support.

The former adoptive mother’s attorney in the international adoption dispute had asked to exclude the media from court and to keep all records related to the adoption and juvenile court actions sealed but a group of eight media successfully opposed the motion at a Monday hearing.

Circuit Judge Lee Russell on Monday ruled in favor of the media request presented by attorney Robb Harvey but said some records about the boy’s family and adoption history would remain sealed. The judge said privacy laws related to such disputes are intended to protect the child involved and do not govern records related to contract disputes between adults. After attorneys agree and he reviews those records they will be released, likely in several weeks, the judge said.

Harvey and attorneys in the suit agreed to work together on deciding which records will be released.
Russell approved a motion by Larry Crain, an attorney for the adoption agency, World Association for Children and Parents, to also add the boy as a plaintiff in the suit. Crain said the boy is represented by the director of the orphanage in Russia where he is living. Crain said the amount of child support sought would be based on the former adoptive mother’s income.

“He (Justin) is at the core of the case,” Crain said of his motion to add the child. “Our best information is he’s being provided for and cared for at this point.”

The former adoptive mother’s attorney, Sandra Smith, said she was pleased with the court’s decision to keep some adoption records private.

“We are fighting over procedural issues mainly,” Smith said. She declined to say where her client is now living.

Frank Gibson, public policy director of the Tennessee Press Association and founding director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, attended the hearing and said in a statement afterward that he appreciated the judge’s recognition of the right of the public and press to witness what he called “historic proceedings.”

“Russell said a scheduled January trial would likely be delayed.”

Judge opens hearing in adoption lawsuit and allows Russian boy added as party seeking damages
[The Republic 11/21/11 by Bill Poovey/Associated Press]

“Murfreesboro attorney Sandra Smith, who represents Torry Hansen, said her client is ready to tell her side of the story.

Asked whether her client — who has moved to California and refused all requests for interviews — got a fair hearing in the media, Smith said: “No, I don’t think she did, and why will come out later.”
Petitioning for a closed hearing, Smith argued that the trial could bring up highly personal information about the little boy.

“There will be discussion of the boy himself (during the trial). Quite a bit,” Smith said, noting that issues such as psychiatric records and other confidential information will come up in court.

“The adoption agency wants Hansen to pay standard child support — 27 percent of her salary as a nurse — as well as back payments from the past year.

After the hearing, Crain said he has tried three times to get Hansen and her mother to sit down for a deposition to tell their side of the story. Two times, he said, she skipped the appointment and the third time she did not respond to a request to schedule a date.

She probably will appear at the trial at some point. When that will happen is not clear. Originally, the case was scheduled to go to court on Jan. 3, but attorneys for both sides say they will need more time, which could push the date to March or April.

In all, eight organizations joined to oppose Hansen’s effort to close the court — The Tennessean, the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, The Associated Press, the Tennessee Press Association, The Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, WKRN News 2, WSMV Channel 4 and the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.”
Russian adoption trial will be public
[The Tennessean 11/21/11 by Jennifer Brooks]

Update 6: The media and the attorney that was appointed to “represent Justin” finally get up to speed in this case about Torry’s plans to adopt a second child from Russia, presumably using WACAP, before putting Justin on a plane. IF it was WACAP, then he should ask the question of how much contact were they having with Torry.

“We have learned new information tonight in that Russian adoption scandal that made international headlines last year when a Tennessee woman sent her adopted son back to his home country on a plane with only a note.

We are told that Torry Hansen tried adopting a second child just months before she shipped 7-year-old Justin away, saying she didn’t want to parent him anymore.”

“The attorney recently appointed to represent the 7-year-old in Hansen’s case has never met with Torry Hansen. Although he’s tried, she has never shown up.

So in his research preparing for trial, he recently discovered that Hansen was trying to adopt another child just a few months before she sent Justin back.

“There are a lot of questions we want answered by Ms. Hansen. A lot of things that have never come to light,” Brentwood attorney Larry Crain said.

Crain has tried to meet with Hansen at least three times in the past to get her reasons for sending Justin on a one-way trip back to Russia with only a note on his backpack that read, “I no longer want to parent this child. This child is mentally unstable. He is violent and has severe psychopathic issues.”

“This lady has never faced any interrogation surrounding the circumstances of her return of Justin,” Crain said.

Crain specifically wants answers about what was going on in Hansen’s life in the months leading up to that day in April of last year.

“Well, there are a lot of ironies in this case. At the time that Ms. Hansen had Justin here, she, in January of last year, was asking for a second adoption of another child from Russia. And the adoption agency said, ‘Well, let’s wait and see how it goes with Justin,'” Crain said.

The attorney says at that point, Hansen immediately stopped cooperating with the adoption agency.

“The next thing they knew she had refused to allow post-placement visits in her home, cut off all communication and only learned after the child had been shipped back to Moscow that this had happened,” Crain said.

Hansen has said that the boy was extremely violent, but Crain says she never tried getting help.

“This is a lady who is a nurse. She certainly knew where to go for help and never once made any inquiry with anyone here locally,” Crain said.

Hansen has never been criminally charged for any wrongdoing.

The trial over the child support is expected to start in March or April, and a judge has ordered Hansen to meet with Crain sometime in the next couple weeks.

As for Hansen, we tried reaching her this week through her attorney, but she did not return our calls.

We are told that she is now living in California.”

Family says their adoption delayed after local woman’s controversy
[WSMV 12/8/11 by Deanna Lambert]

Update 7: As speculated for the past few months, Torry Hansen’s case is in fact delayed. It was originally scheduled to begin on January 3, 2012. “Torry and Nancy Hansen and attorneys representing [WACAP] a Washington state adoption agency [were] to appear in Bedford County Circuit Court for trial.

However, the trial has been delayed because depositions are still ongoing.”

Record Sealing

“The case sparked outrage and an international incident, and last November, Circuit Court Judge Lee Russell ruled that the news media could have access to the trial after the Hansens’ attorney attempted to seal records in the case and bar the media from the proceedings.

Russell stated that the privacy laws related to disputes in juvenile court are intended to protect the children involved, and do not govern records related to contract disputes between adults. However, some records in the case dealing with the boy’s family and his adoption history will remain under seal.”

Hansen trial reset again
[Shelbyville Times-Gazette by Brian Mosely 1/4/12]

REFORM Puzzles pieces

Postplacement needs and services need to be communicated among and by the agencies to adoptive parents, especially in cases where placement is outside of the placing agency’s state. Adoptive parents need to access them and understand where emergency help can be received.

Ms. Hansen should have been trained more and resources need to be developed and accessed by adoptive parents.

Torry needs to be held accountable but so do the agencies involved (both homestudy and placing) and the Russian authorities who may not have provided a full enough medical record for her to discern in the first place. Orphanage conditions need to be reformed as promised by the Russian ombudsman. There should be accountability on the US side (state and federal) for the agencies and further accountability on the Russian side for the agencies.

Update 8: Russia claims that Torry has been ordered to appear in court in Tennessee.

“A U.S. court has issued a summons to the woman who adopted a seven-year-old Russian boy and later put him on a plane back to Moscow with a note saying that she didn’t want him anymore.

The woman, Tory-Ann Hansen, has been ordered to appear at a child support hearing, Russian Children’s Ombudsman Pavel Astakhov said on Thursday.

Hansen said she sent the boy back in April 2010 because he was violent and had psychological problems.

Russia wants the woman to pay about $2,500 a month to care for the boy, who is now living at an orphanage, until he reaches age 18. Hansen has refused to settle. In December 2011, her legal counsel filed a motion to dismiss child support claims made by the adoption agency, the World Association for Children and Parents (WACAP).”
U.S. Mom in Court for Dumping Russian Adoptee
[Ria Novosti 1/20/12]

Update 9: The US media confirm what Russia reported days ago. Torry will be asked to appear in court. The date is set for March 27, 2012.

“The trial has been set for March 27 in Shelbyville, according to Circuit Court Judge F. Lee Russell’s office.

Trial Set For US Mom Who Returned Russian Boy
[News Channel 5 1/23/12]

Update 10: “Hansen has refused to cooperate with investigators after the then 7-year-old boy — identified in court documents as Artem Saveliev — arrived in Russia in April 2010 with a note saying he had psychological problems. No criminal charges were ever filed, but her adoption agency filed a lawsuit seeking child support in Tennessee, where she was living at the time.”

“Hansen had no immediate comment on the suit. Her mother, Nancy Hansen, said that her daughter has previously refused to answer questions sought by attorneys, but she did not know whether Torry Hansen would have to appear in court for questioning

Nancy Hansen said she questioned why two agencies were suing her daughter, World Association for Children And Parents and the National Council for Adoption, noting the child is now living in a home run by a charity in a village about 10 miles southeast of Moscow.”

[We don’t understand how WACAP can have standing to sue her, either. They don’t have custody of Artyom. As for the NCFA….what is their role? While in February 2011, we noted that NCFA was the “designated liaison for Leonid Lvovich Mityaev, the physical custodian of Justin in Moscow,” NOW the SOS village is the physical custodian. Are they the Grand Arbiters of all things adoption? Will this give them precedent to sue any other adoptive parent when “adoption” ends up not looking so happy and easy?Torry did horribly abandon Justin/Artyom, but the fact is that she didn’t break any laws, according to Tennessee. So laws need to change, but that should take place in legislatures and not in a courtroom with two entities with a vested interest to cover up their professions and possibly their actions in this case! Let’s get real: This is being done to secure future referrals  from Russia for WACAP and any NCFA agency. This is not about Artyom! ]

“Larry Crain, an attorney for WACAP, said a judge will decide in February whether to compel both women to give a deposition to attorneys. Lawyers are preparing for a trial scheduled for March 27 in a circuit court in Shelbyville, where the woman had lived at the time.

“They have been evading notices to appear in court three or four times,” Crain said.”

“Nancy Hansen said she doesn’t believe the youngster was traumatized by being sent home alone.

“All I can say he was very happy when he was on the plane,” she said. “Witnesses have said that he was running all around and he was happy. There were stewardesses watching over him.”

She said that she and her daughter both hope the boy is happy where he is now. “It is our hope that he will be loved there, truly loved there, and he will find happiness,” she said of Artem.

Her daughter claimed in the letter that Artem, who they had named Justin, was violent while he was living in Tennessee and had severe psychological issues. Nancy Hansen said the boy drew a picture of a burning building with people inside.”

“Nancy Hansen said her daughter has an order from a Russian court saying that her adoption was annulled last year after he was returned and that a court in Tennessee doesn’t have jurisdiction to order her daughter to pay child support.

[Now the record-sealing request  in late 2011 makes more sense. WACAP and NCFA want to suppress the fact that the adoption was annulled in Russia!]

But the attorney for the adoption agency said the judge will rule based on Tennessee state law.

“We are seeking relief under the law of the state of Tennessee and as far as we are concerned the rulings in Russia are not binding,” he said.

Her daughter had been working as a nurse at a local Veterans Administration hospital in Tennessee, but they have moved and Nancy said her daughter doesn’t currently have a job to pay child support.

“They don’t have standing to do this and this is going to be a drawn-out process,” she said.”

TN woman who sent adopted son back to Russia faces child support lawsuit
[Tennessean 1/25/12 by Kristin M. Hall/Associated Press]

Update 11: Torry Hansen ordered to Court for deposition on February 20, 2012 and to stand trial May 17, 2012.

“A former Shelbyville resident at the center of an international adoption controversy has been ordered to give a deposition in her upcoming child support case, while the trial date was moved to May.
Torry Hansen will finally answer questions about the case on Feb. 20, and then stand trial on May 17, Circuit Court Judge Lee Russell ordered on Wednesday.

In April 2010, Hansen sent her adopted Russian son back to Moscow alone on a plane with a note saying he had psychological problems and that she didn’t want him anymore.

She has refused to cooperate with investigators after the then 7-year-old boy — identified in court documents as Artem Saveliev — arrived in Russia. No criminal charges were ever filed, but Hansen’s adoption agency filed a lawsuit seeking child support here, where she was living at the time.

Larry Crain, an attorney representing World Association for Children and Parents (WACAP), filed a motion to compel before Russell, saying that they had been trying to get Hansen to give her side of the story since May of last year, but that the Hansens announced their decision at the time “not to be deposed on any date or any location.”

Hansen was due to appear at a deposition today, but her attorney, Sandra Smith of Murfreesboro, would be unavailable due to another case. Crain asked Russell to compel Hansen to answer questions and to also produce financial documents.

Smith said that her client is still searching for the necessary financial documents Crain is requesting, which Russell said they have 15 days to find, Smith also said that Hansen could answer questions over the phone or Skype, but Crain said he would rather have the meeting in person, or via web conferencing if that is not possible.

But Smith said that she would not be ready to go to trial on March 27, and both sides meet during a recess to agree on the new date of May 17.”

BREAKING: Hansen ordered to give deposition in child support case
[Shelbyville Times-Gazette 2/1/12 by Brian Mosely]

WACAP is the agency that placed Justin in Torry’s care. They and the unnamed homestudy agency are at fault for that. Torry paid them and now that they demand to see her, demand financial documents and question her in this case is ridiculous. Still, we are interested in what she will say, especially about the cancelled adoption!

Update 12: She is due for a deposition on Monday February 20 and appears to not be responding to her lawyer.
“An attorney for a former Shelbyville woman who shipped her adopted son back to Russia alone doesn’t want to represent her anymore.

In documents filed this week, Torry Hansen’s attorney said her client has failed to communicate or respond to her regarding the pending child support lawsuit against her.

In April of 2010, Hansen sent her then 7-year-old adopted son back to Moscow, with a note claiming he had psychological problems, and she no longer wanted him. The case sparked international outrage and an adoption agency filed suit, claiming she should still pay child support for the boy.

A trial for that case is slated to begin in May.”

Attorney For Shelbyville Mother Asks To Withdraw From Case
[News Channel 5 2/17/12]

Update 13: Lawsuit vs. Nancy has been dropped. Torry/Nancy did NOT authorize attorney to bar media. ATTORNEY is not responsive to the Hansens. Nancy will file slander lawsuits in Washington against WACAP and NCFA. Nancy alleges that WACAP tried to manipulate the court proceedings in Russia!

“It was Nancy who put the child on a plane to Russia, escorting the boy as far as Dulles International Airport in Virginia before leaving him in the care of United Airlines flight attendants. The Hansen family paid a man $200 to pick the boy up at the airport in Moscow and take him to the Russian Education and Science Ministry.

However, Nancy has been dropped from the current lawsuit, according to court records.”

“In an exclusive interview, Hansen told the T-G that Torry has written a letter dated Feb. 12 to Circuit Court Judge Lee Russell, asking for a court-appointed attorney and requesting a transcript of the Feb. 1 hearing. The Hansens claim they have not yet heard a reply from Russell.

Last week, the Hansens’ latest attorney, Sandra L.M. Smith of Murfreesboro, filed a motion to withdraw as counsel, saying that she had been unable to communicate with her clients, but Hansen claims that isn’t true.

Russell will hear Smith’s motion to withdraw as Torry Hansen’s counsel during the hearing to be held today in Shelbyville.

“When Ms. Smith was retained, she was told what she was to do in this case, and she failed to do it,” Hansen said, claiming that Smith “tried to go off in different ways so … it would make a court case.”

Nancy said that her daughter “continually” told Smith to handle the case as they requested, but claims that the Murfreesboro attorney did not do so.

Hansen said they have records of emails and tried to call Smith about these requests, but got no response. A week following the hearing held on Feb. 1 in which Russell ordered Torry to be deposed, the Hansens fired Smith, expressing their “complete dissatisfaction” in how the case was handled.

When reached for comment Wednesday, Smith said any discussions she had with her former clients were “strictly confidential,” and she could not comment, citing attorney/client privilege.

Barring press
Reading from the letter the Hansens said they sent Smith on Feb. 8, Nancy said that their attorney was asked to file a motion to dismiss, and Smith told them if Russell did not dismiss the case, she would file an interrogatory appeal.

“You filed an emergency motion to keep the media from the proceedings when we didn’t care if they were allowed in or not,” Hansen read. “When the judge allowed the media in, you said you were going to file an interrogatory appeal. There is something wrong with this picture when you are willing to fight so hard to keep the media out of the proceedings, but not willing to fight for the rights of your client.”

The Hansens’ letter claims that Smith said that Judge Russell “likes the limelight, but from where I’m sitting, it looks like both of you do,” the letter read. “My due process is being violated.”

“Didn’t care”
Hansen told the T-G that Smith said to them that a lot of media was contacting her about the case, so she filed an emergency motion to keep the press out, Nancy claims.

In the emergency motion Smith filed to bar the press last October, she wrote there had been “a bombardment of calls” from media outlets to which Smith has refused to respond, and “numerous and aggressive demands from the media for access to the Court file,” asking that the entire matter needed to be placed under seal.

But in November, Russell ruled that the press would be allowed access to the trial and records, however, some documents in the case dealing with the boy’s family and his adoption history will remain under seal.

“We told her we didn’t care if they were in,” Nancy said, claiming that the attorney for World Association for Children and Parents (WACAP), Larry Crain, “had already leaked most of the information in there anyways,” which she said contained information about WACAP attorney Ray C. Stoner “trying to manipulate the court proceedings in Russia.”

“She said that she felt that she was going to go ahead with it,” Hansen said, explaining Smith’s attempt to bar the press from the court proceedings. “That was a decision she made, it wasn’t Torry and I saying ‘keep the media out.'” Nancy repeatedly told the T-G “they didn’t care either way” whether the media had access to the case or not.

“It was after the fact that she told us she had filed it,” Hansen said about the motion to keep the press excluded.

Did not respond?
Hansen claims that after the Feb. 1 hearing, Smith failed to contact her clients to tell them the outcome, saying they had attempted to contact her in the three days that followed, but that Smith did not respond by e-mail or phone. Nancy claims that Smith left a message on Feb. 4, saying she wanted to go over documents, and for the next four days, the Hansens say they tried to get in touch with Smith, but to no avail.

The letter from Torry said “they still don’t know what transpired” during the Feb. 1 hearing in Lynchburg, asking to have the transcripts e-mailed to them. Nancy claims that Smith “only tried to cover herself after Feb. 8,” also claiming to have recordings of their phone conversations.
Hansen added that Smith could have reached her family if she had wanted to.

Nancy also told the T-G that she was going to travel to Washington state, where WACAP is located, and file a slander suit against the adoption agency. She said that she was going to file it in this state, but now says that “I would not hire another Tennessee lawyer for nothing.” She stated she also intended to file a suit against the National Council for Adoption.”

T-G EXCLUSIVE: Nancy Hansen speaks out on Russian adoption case
[Shelbyville Times-Gazette 2/23/12 by Brian Mosely]

Update 14:”A judge will decide today whether to charge Torry Hansen with contempt of court for refusing to appear Monday for a deposition in a suit over her abandonment of a Russian boy she adopted.

Torry Hansen doesn’t appear for deposition
[Shelbyville Times-Gazette 2/23/12 by Brian Mosely]

“The former Shelbyville family at the center of an international adoption issue say they plan to release documents on the Internet telling their side of the story.

Hansens’ website to tell their views
[Shelbyville Times-Gazette 2/23/12 by Brian Mosely]

“Attorney Larry Crain represents the adoption agency and the boy, Artem Saveliev. Crain said mother Torry Hansen, formerly of Shelbyville, Tenn., has not appeared at three noticed depositions, the last one scheduled for Monday.

Mom may face contempt in Russia adoption case
[News 9 2/23/12]

Update 15: “Circuit Court Judge Lee Russell signed an order Thursday morning ordering Torry Hansen to appear at the Moore County Courthouse at 9 a.m. regarding her request for a court-appointed attorney.

“(T)he court will not accept, lieu of her personal appearance any other form of communication from Torry Hansen,” Russell ordered. Hansen will be questioned about her finances to determine whether she is entitled to a court appointed attorney.

Hansen fired Murfreesboro attorney Sandra Smith on Feb. 8, and Russell ordered that she be permitted to withdraw from the case. Smith informed Russell that Hansen had ceased all communication with her.
Russell also ordered Smith to provide any contact information for Hansen to Larry Crain, the attorney for World Association for Children and Parents (WACAP), and to the court no later than March 22. Smith will also mail a copy of Russell’s order to Hansen’s last known address.

If Hansen does not appear in Lynchburg on March 7, Crain plans to file a motion for default judgment in the case. The trial date is still set for May 17.”

“The suit was first filed in Circuit Court, then transferred to Juvenile Court, where it was dismissed by Judge Charles Rich last year.

The T-G only learned of the juvenile court dismissal from Nancy Hansen, who gave an exclusive interview to the T-G earlier this week. There was no way to know the status of that case since all the records in that venue have been under seal.

An amended complaint was then filed against Torry in the matter for child support and breach of contract, dropping her mother from the litigation. However, no response has ever been given by Hansen to the new suit filed by Crain.”

“New attorney?

During a 45-minute hearing Thursday morning, Smith told Russell she has not had any direct contact with her client since Feb. 5. The attorney said she had no other options but to withdraw from the case.

Torry Hansen had sent a letter to Russell on Tuesday asking that he appoint an attorney in her case, but Russell said it was unlikely that she was entitled to one since the case is a civil matter and that she had already hired and fired three lawyers since the suit was first brought against her nearly two years ago.

Nancy Hansen told the T-G earlier this week that her family had spent $60,000 defending themselves and Torry stated in a letter to Russell that Smith was retained at a cost of $17,000.

Smith has also been in communication with the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility, the governing ethical body for attorneys, about her role in the case, and she said she is acting upon their instructions. ”

Case File for Public
“The judge also instructed Smith and Crain to agree which parts of the case file would be open to the press, which would exclude medical and psychological information about the Russian boy.”

WACAP moans about Nancy contacting media

“Crain also said while Torry had not responded to questions, Nancy Hansen had contacted the T-G to give her side of the story, “indicating she is fully aware of the status of the case.”

Torry contacted Judge directly

And he didn’t like that…”Russell said that he had not responded to the first letter that Torry Hansen sent requesting a court-appointed attorney because he had not received it. The second letter had been received via fax from Fed Ex, but Russell had no way to respond to it, nor would it have been appropriate for him to do so, he said.

In her letter to Russell, Hansen claims that “Smith is the one who would not return calls, emails or answer questions about the case. She has also deceived me in regards to the representation she was providing to me,” Hansen wrote on Feb. 21. “I have emails and phone records that show Ms. Smith lack of communication,” she claimed.

Hansen also alleges in her letter that after she fired Smith, “she began a campaign in which she bombarded me with calls, letters and messages. I only wish that Ms. Smith had been half as diligent in her communication prior to my dismissal of her.” Hansen added that she would not respond to any of Smith’s attempts to communicate with her.”
Judge to Hansen: Appear
[Shelbyville Times-Gazette 2/24/12 by Brian Mosely]

Update 16: Torry sends letter to judge on Tuesday March 6, 2012 indicating that she will not show up for Wednesday March 7 hearing. Judge rules to require Torry to pay child support, amount to be determined in May 2012.

“Torry Hansen, who was living in Shelbyville in April 2010 when she put the boy on a plane alone back to Moscow, was ordered to personally appear in court on Wednesday in Lynchburg in a child support lawsuit filed by her former adoption agency. Circuit Court Judge Lee Russell is scheduled to consider whether to hold Hansen in contempt of court and whether to approve a motion for a default judgment against her.

Hansen sent a letter to the court on Tuesday saying that she can’t appear because she no longer lives in Tennessee and asked for a court-appointed attorney.

Hansen has moved to California, although her exact whereabouts are unknown.

Torry Hansen has refused to talk to investigators since April 2010 when she sent Artem, then known as Justin Hansen, alone on a plane to Moscow with a note saying he had psychological problems and that she didn’t want to be his mother anymore. No criminal charges were ever filed.”

Woman Who Sent Russian Boy Back Due In Court
[News Channel 5 3/7/12]

“Torry Hansen has lost the child support lawsuit filed against her after refusing to appear in person.
Circuit Court Judge Lee Russell granted a motion for default judgment against the former Shelbyville resident, who had been ordered to appear in Lynchburg on Wednesday morning.”

“No criminal charges were ever filed, but Torry Hansen’s adoption agency, World Association for Children and Parents (WACAP), filed a lawsuit in May 2010 against her and her mother Nancy, seeking child support in Bedford County where she was living at the time.

The suit was first filed in Circuit Court, then transferred to Juvenile Court, where it was dismissed by Judge Charles Rich last year. The current suit was refiled against Torry for breach of contract and child support last July, but she has never responded to the litigation.”
BREAKING: Hansen must pay child support
[Shelbyville Times-Gazette 3/7/12 by Brian Mosely]

Update 17: “Hansen faxed the court a letter on Tuesday that said she no longer lived in Tennessee and she wanted to request a court-appointed attorney. But Russell said that for the court to appoint her an attorney, she would have to appear in court to answer financial questions, which she refused to do.

Hansen said in the letter that the adoption was “canceled” and that she was not his legal parent.

“I do not believe that I can obtain a fair and unbiased hearing from this court,” she said in the letter. No phone number is listed at Hansen’s California address.

WACAP: ““Whether or not Ms. Hansen will ever realize the consequences of her actions remains to be seen, but at least we know now there has a been a ruling by the court that she has been determined to be liable for her actions,” said Larry Crain, attorney for WACAP, after the hearing.

The exact amount of child support and damages will be determined at a hearing in May, and Crain said he intends to present testimony then about the boy’s current condition and what impact her actions had on him. ”

“Crain said they will be seeking back payment of child support as well as support for him until he turns 18. He said that despite her failing to show up in court or answer questions, there were ways to get her to pay child support.

“A child support arrearage order is enforceable in all 50 states under uniform laws and she can be found and this order will be enforced,” he said.

Crain said the ruling may set a legal precedent in adoption cases and may lead to better protections for adopted children. ”

Tennessee mom who returned adopted son to Russia must pay child support to orphanage
[The Associated Press 3/8/12 by Kristin Hall]

Update 18: “Another letter
No attorney represented Hansen during the 10-minute hearing, but instead, she had hired a court recorder to document the proceedings.

Hansen faxed a letter to Circuit Court Clerk Thomas Smith on Tuesday, “to safeguard my legal and constitutional rights,” stating that “due to the distance, severe financial hardship and standing of the petitioners to pursue this lawsuit, I am unable to comply” with Russell’s order to appear in person.
WACAP attorney Larry Crain stated Wednesday that Russell had extended “every opportunity” to Hansen to be heard, but has “demonstrated nothing but disdain for the rules and order of this court.”
Crain also requested attorney’s fees for the times she did not appear for discovery and a protective order to a request from the Hansens for documents from WACAP. Crain added that he would not be filing any motion for contempt against Hansen, as he had previously stated.

Russell found Hansen to be liable for damages, and has precluded her from presenting any testimony on that issue.

“She may have had issues she could have raised, but she has chosen not to participate in this process,” Russell said.

More accusations

In her latest letter, Hansen also made claims that her former attorney, Sandra Smith, said that Russell and WACAP attorney Larry Crain “go way back,” attending college together and were friends.

“I do not believe that I can obtain a fair and unbiased hearing from this court,” Hansen wrote. “Judge Russell has not followed judicial procedure and has shown bias and judicial misconduct.”

Crain called the accusations “utterly absurd” and Russell noted from the bench that aside from one case they may have worked on together 30 years ago, he could not remember Crain, who graduated from Vanderbilt a year before the judge did.

Hansen also stated that the groups suing her have no authority to “obtain sensitive and invasive information from me.” Hansen again requested paperwork for a court appointed attorney in her letter.

Russian questions
Hansen also wrote that Crain has not presented any legal documents verifying that Leonid Lvovich Mityaev is the boy’s legal guardian in Russia, noting he “is simply the director of a state run orphanage” where the child used to live and that he is “not the physical custodian.”

She also claims that WACAP and NCFA “have continued to conspire with Pavel Astakhov and Mr. Mityaev to create false reports in regards to Artem to further their agenda.”

“The proper party to any legal proceeding concerning Artem is the municipal government of the Russian Federation,” Hansen claimed.

She also said that she does not speak for the child as the adoption was canceled and “I am not the legal parent.”

“This lawsuit is about WACAP trying to redeem themselves in the eyes of certain Russian officials,” Hansen said, also claiming that it was filed after her mother, Nancy Hansen, told the Russian Ministry of Education and Science that WACAP had provided “a fraudulent post-placement report.”

“Bunker mentality”
Following the hearing, Crain told reporters that “the real victim here is Justin Hansen and his voice needs to be heard in this case,” adding that expert testimony would be heard on May 17 about what the child has gone through, including testimony from the man who picked the child up at the Moscow airport.

“Whether or not Ms. Hansen will ever realize the consequences of her actions remains to be seen, but at least we know now that there’s been a ruling by the court that she is determined to be liable for her actions,” Crain said.

Hansen has been given opportunities to be heard and due process rights, but has “flippantly ignored” the chances to tell her side of the story, Crain told the assembled media on Wednesday.

“To adopt what I call a ‘bunker mentality’ and just say ‘come and get me if you can,’ … is counter productive to her case,” adding he looked forward to the hearing in May to determine damages.

Crain said those damages could include child support, plus expenses on behalf of the child, plus the expenses of the adoption contract being breached, and may run into “tens of thousands of dollars.” He added that the support would be required until the boy is 18.

Crain claimed that Hansen’s attempt to annul the adoption failed in Russia, although that government terminated the adoption, “but it didn’t disrupt her ongoing obligation as a parent for support,” saying that under Russian law, that obligation continues.

Can be found
Ray Stoner, attorney for the National Council for Adoption, explained that there is no treaty between Russia and the United State in regards to child support, so it’s up to the Tennessee court to determine how the money is assessed.

Stoner said that the money would be sent to Russia for the boy’s benefit.

“It’s appalling that she (Torry Hansen) claims she’s the victim, the child’s the victim here,” Stoner said.
When asked how that Torry will pay the child support, Crain said that “Ms. Hansen can be found,” noting that child support arrears is enforceable in all 50 states.

The boy is now in a group home in Russia and Crain said he is “not adoptable for a lot of reason having to do with what he has gone through.”

Crain said that the eyes of the Russian authorities and the Ministry of Education “are on this case .. to make sure this never happens again.”

Stoner said what was important is what was going to happen during the damages phase, with Crain saying he would ask for attorney’s fees of $5,000.

Had been appealed
Crain had appealed the final decision of the juvenile court last year in the case that accused the Hansens of dependence and negligence.

Juvenile Court Judge Charles Rich dismissed the case with prejudice on June 24, 2011, saying that since the Russians were not going to be returning the boy to Tennessee, there was no issue concerning his safety and welfare.

“Now that the child permanently resides and has been repatriated in the Russian Federation, that government has established itself as the proper venue and jurisdiction for any further proceedings relative to the parental status of the Respondents (the Hansens).”

Rich also ruled that to grant any child support payable to the Russian authorities would be “further counterproductive” and was “not in the child’s best interest because that government may not ever proceed with permanency for the child so as to not interrupt the income stream.”

Hansen must pay: Judge
[Shelbyville Times-Gazette 3/8/12 by Brian Mosely]

Update 19: Torry is now suing Pavel Astakhov for “criticizing her after she sent her adopted son back to Russia with a “refusal note,””

““The lawsuit has been registered, but the court has yet to decide if it should be accepted for review,” he said. Tarasov told RAPSI that Hansen wants Astakhov to refute his statements as part of her lawsuit. Tarasov declined to comment further as the court has yet to issue a decision.”

“Savelyev arrived from Washington to Moscow on April 8, 2010 with a note saying Hansen did not want to mother him as he allegedly had mental problems. The boy spent only half a year with her family. Previously, he lived in the Maritime Territory with his mother. When she was deprived of her parental rights, he spent several years in a children’s home.

Astakhov has commented on the situation on many occasions. He said Artyom refuses to recollect his stay in the United States.

“It is clear even now that the child underwent a great deal of stress due to his adoptive mother and she must be held accountable,” Astakhov said.

RAPSI has yet to reach the parties for comment.

The World Association for Children and Parents filed a lawsuit against Hansen, seeking to oblige her to pay 27 percent of her nurse’s salary to her abandoned son until he reaches legal age.

Artyom is nine years old now.

Artyom currently lives in the Moscow Region in a large family along with five other children.”

American adoptive mother wants apology from Russian ombudsman
[Russian Legal Information agency 3/14/12]

Update 20: “The Russian children’s rights ombudsman says he wants an American woman who sent her young adopted son back to Russia to testify in a Moscow court. [Did you make all of those other parents who returned their children testify? I think we all know the answer to that one.]

Torry Hansen was living in Shelbyville, Tennessee, in April 2010 when she sent her then-7-year-old son on a plane alone back to Moscow with a note that said the boy was violent and she no longer wanted to keep him.

 

A Tennessee judge ruled last month that Hansen is liable for child support in a lawsuit brought by her former adoption agency. Pavel Astakhov said Thursday he would like Hansen, who has sued him in a Moscow court, to testify at a hearing scheduled for next month.

Astakhov says the boy now lives in foster care and taking care of him costs around $2,300 a month for housing and “psychological correction.”

Russian Wants US Woman to Testify Over Adoption
[ABC 4/12/12  by Associated Press]

New articles say that Torry is suing for a different reason.

“An American woman, who sent her adopted son back to Russia, has hauled Russian children’s rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov to court seeking retraction of a November 24, 2011 article he wrote in the ‘Rossiiskaya Gazeta’ government daily.

The lawsuit filed by Torry Hansen in Moscow’s Savelovsky Court also seeks damages for the article, Astakhov said on Thursday.

“The essence of the lawsuit is that I call Hansen an adoptive mother, while she wants me to call her Artyom Savelyev’s former adoptive mother,” Astakhov was quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency as saying.

“I’m glad a lawsuit was filed by Torry Hansen against me and the Rossiiskaya Gazeta. I’ll gladly meet her and request that she visits Russia and the court,” he added.

Hansen was living in Tennessee in April 2010 when she put Artyom Savelyev, then aged seven, on a flight back to his native Russia unaccompanied with a note saying she did not want him because he was “psychotic.”

Astakhov said Russia would seek child support payments from Hansen in accordance with a U.S. court ruling. “We will try to make her pay the cost of Artyom’s support, nothing more,” he said.

According to the ombudsman’s estimates, the boy’s stay in a group home costs 42,000 rubles (over $1,400) not including psychological treatment costing 27,000 rubles (over $900) per month. ”

US Woman Sues Russian Children’s Ombudsman

[RTT News 4/12/12]

Update 21: “A former Shelbyville woman who sent her young adopted son back to Russia two years ago won’t be appearing in court, her mother told the T-G.

Nancy Hansen’s daughter, Torry Hansen, sent Artyom Savaliev back alone on a plane to Moscow, claiming he was violent.

The matter ended up in court, with Circuit Court Judge Lee Russell ruling last month that Torry Hansen must pay child support in a lawsuit brought by her former adoption agency. A hearing is set for May 17 to determine how much she must pay.

No attendance

But in an interview with the T-G earlier this week, Nancy, who accompanied the boy on part of his trip, said they won’t be coming, claiming attorneys have told them that under federal and Tennessee law, an adoption agency can not take child support from them since Torry is not the legal mother.
If Russell orders a child support payment next month, Nancy said, “we’ve got it covered,” but she wouldn’t elaborate further.

“Torry’s broke, they broke her,” Nancy explained, saying that she and her husband had sold off property to cover Torry’s legal costs.

“Even if she came on the 17th, the judge has ordered that she can’t fight against the damages, so what good would it do for her to go … he’s not going to take any information or anything from her,” Nancy said.

Damages levied

Torry never filed responses to the lawsuit and Russell found her to be liable for damages, precluding her from presenting any testimony on that issue.

“She may have had issues she could have raised, but she has chosen not to participate in this process,” Russell said last month.

“The adoption was annulled by the Russian Supreme Court, with the prosecutor general agreeing with the claim,” Nancy said. “They (the Russians) could have asked child support from her, but they did not. It’s over and done with, she has no legal obligation or duties for Artyom.”

Hansen won’t appear in court
[Shelbyville Times-Gazette 4/18/12 by Brian Moseley]

The kangaroo court will be lonely next month.

Update 22:

“A woman who touched off an international furor by returning her 7-year-old son to Russia 6 months after adopting him asked a Superior Court judge to enforce a Russian Federation Supreme Court case annulling the adoption.

Torry Ann Hansen sued L.L. Mityayev and A.A. Nikolayeva, as legal representatives of Russian Federation State Educational Institute Orphanage No. 19 Foster Center, in Shasta County Court.

Enforcement of the judgment would allow Hansen to avoid paying child support, according to the complaint.

ABC News reported in April 2011 that Hansen sent the boy “on a plane to Moscow’s Domodedovo airport with a note in his pocket saying she was returning him, that the boy had severe psychological problems and that the orphanage had lied about his condition.”

Her action “horrified officials and adoption experts in both countries,” ABC reported in its April 9, 2011 story: “Tennessee Mother Ships Adopted Son Back to Moscow Alone,” which is still posted on the Internet.

“This child is mentally unstable,” Hansen wrote to the Russian Ministry of Education, according to ABC News. “He is violent and has severe psychopathic issues/ behaviors. I was lied to and misled by the Russian Orphanage workers and director regarding his mental stability and other issues.”

The City Council of Tverskoy, a municipality in Moscow, sued Hansen on the boy’s behalf, requesting revocation of the adoption “due to the fault of the adoptive parent,” Hansen says in her complaint. Tverskoy requested child support.

Hansen says she countersued the boy and his representatives, two city councils, and the orphanage “to annul the adoption through no fault of the adoptive parent,” then amended the cause of action to request annulment “due to the fault of the adoptive mother or not,” according to her complaint. The Moscow City Court dismissed her complaint, Hansen says.

But Russian Federation Supreme Court reversed, finding “that the annulment was necessary to protect the minor child’s rights and legally protected interests, as well as the public interests. It annulled the adoption based on plaintiff’s culpable conduct,” according to Hansen’s complaint.

But Mitayayev, the orphanage’s representative, continues to pursue an order for child support against Hansen in Shelbyville, Tenn., Circuit Court, Hansen says.

“(I)n his purported capacity as the minor child’s legal custodian[,] he has apparently authorized the adoption agency plaintiff used and/or the National Council for Adoption to litigate the matter in Tennessee on his behalf,” Hansen says.

She asks the Superior Court to recognize and enforce the Russian Supreme Court judgment.
She is represented by Elizabeth Niemi of Sacramento.”

Woman Wants Adoption Case Ended for Good
[Courthouse News 4/24/12 by Tish Kraft]

Update 23: “A former Shelbyville woman who sent her adopted son back to Moscow two years ago has asked a California Superior Court judge to enforce a ruling of the Russian Federation Supreme Court which annulled the adoption.

In April 2010, Torry Hansen sent Artyom Savaliev back alone on a plane to Russia, claiming he had severe psychological problems and was violent.

Last month, Bedford County Circuit Court Judge Lee Russell ruled that Hansen must pay child support following a lawsuit brought by her former adoption agency. A hearing is set for May 17 to determine how much she must pay.

But now, Hansen is suing two individuals representing the Russian orphanage, with the complaint stating that enforcing the judgment of the foreign court would allow her to avoid paying child support.

Nancy Hansen, Torry’s mother, has repeatedly told the T-G that Russia’s Supreme Court annulled the adoption.

“They (the Russians) could have asked child support from her, but they did not,” Hansen stated last week. “It’s over and done with, she has no legal obligation or duties for Artyom.”

Hansen wants court order enforced
[Shelbyville Times-Gazette 4/26/12 by Brian Moseley]

Update 24: “The Moscow Tverskoy Distrcit Court will continue hearing the lawsuit by U.S. citizen Torry Ann Hansen against Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Pavel Astakhov on May 28.

On April 8, 2010 Hansen sent her foster son Artyom Savelyev back to Russia with a note stating that she refused to keep him in her care as he suffered from psychological problems.

The boy had only spent half a year with the Hansen family. He had spent his first few years in the Maritime Territory with his mother. When she was deprived of her parental rights, he was then taken to live in a children’s home for several years.

The cause of the judicial dispute is the article, entitled “Artyom Savelyev’s Foster Mother Does Not Come to Court to Testify”, published in February on Astakhov’s official website.

“In this article Hansen was named the boy’s foster mother, although in fact she had not been the Artyom’s foster mother for 9 months. Thus Astakhov made a veiled accusation against her of violating the current Russian legislation,” Maria Yarmush, the plaintiffs representative, said.

She said that Hansen will not attending the hearing, because she is a nurse and bears large legal fees in other disputes.

“Astakhov continues to create a negative image of my client in the eyes of the public,” Yarmush said.

The World Association for Children and Parents (WACAP) submitted a lawsuit against the Hansen family to the Bedford District Court. The organization which helped Torry Ann Hansen and her mother Nancy adopt Artyom required obligating Torry Ann Hansen, who was still Artyom’s mother under law, to give 27 percent of her wage to support the boy. A U.S. court found that Hansen must pay funds to support the child. In May, the court will hear the arguments on the exact amount of support to be paid.

Artyom is nine years old. He currently lives in the Moscow Region in a large family along with five other children.”

American foster mother’s suit against Russian children’s ombudsman set for May 28
[RAPSI 5/2/12]

Update 25: Moscow to hear lawsuit case on July 4, 2012.

” The Moscow Tverskoy District Court will resume on July 4 its hearing of a lawsuit filed by Torry Ann Hansen, the former U.S. foster mother of Artyom Savelyev, against Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner Pavel Astakhov, the court told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI/rapsinews.com) on Monday.”

“The cause of the legal dispute is an article titled, “Artyom Savelyev’s Foster Mother Does Not Come to Court to Testify,” which was published in February on Astakhov’s official website.

“In the article, Hansen was named as the boy’s foster mother, although in fact she has not been his foster mother for nine months. Thus, Astakhov made a veiled accusation against her of violating Russian law,” Maria Yarmush, the plaintiff’s representative, said.

The delay announced by the court on Monday was due to the absence of a response from the Education Ministry. The ministry must establish if the plaintiff is still Artyoms foster mother, as the adoption has been canceled. The court also expects answers to several more questions.

Yarmush told journalists that the defendant delivered to court on Monday a reply from the World Association for Children and Parents’ (WACAP), where Artyom is still listed as Hansens foster son. In the lawyers view, this is only one entity’s opinion, and it must be checked for compliance with U.S. law.”

Hansen’s lawsuit against Russian children’s ombudsman to be heard on July 4

[RAPSI News 5/28/12]

Update 26: Moscow dismisses her lawsuit.

“Moscow’s Tverskoy District Court has rejected the defamation lawsuit lodged by U.S. citizen Torry Hansen, former foster mother of Anton Savelyev, whom she put on a plane back to Russia, against Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner Pavel Astakhov, the court told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI/rapsinews.com) on Wednesday.

On April 8, 2010, Hansen sent Artyom – who was then only seven years old – back to Russia, alone, with a note stating that she refused to be his foster mother, as he was mentally unstable.

The boy was sent back to Russia only half a year after he was adopted. Artyom had spent his first few years in the Maritime Territory with his mother. When she was deprived of her parental rights, he was taken to live in a children’s home.

The cause of the legal dispute is an article titled, “Artyom Savelyev’s Foster Mother Does Not Come to Court to Testify,” which was published in February on Astakhov’s official website.

“In the article, Hansen was named as the boy’s foster mother, although in fact she has not been his foster mother for nine months. Thus, Astakhov made a veiled accusation against her of violating Russian law,” Maria Yarmush, the plaintiff’s representative, said.

Yarmush told journalists that the defendant delivered a reply to the court from the World Association for Children and Parents’ (WACAP), where Artyom is still listed as Hansen’s foster son. The lawyer claims that this is only the opinion of one organization, and it must be checked for compliance with U.S. law.

The WACAP sued the Hansen family in the Bedford District Court. The organization, which had helped Hansen to adopt Artyom, wanted her to pay 27 percent of her wages to support the child.”

Hansen’s complaint against Russian children’s ombudsman dismissed

[RAPSI 7/5/12]

Update 27: Torry “lost on Monday [September 10, 2012]  a lawsuit she filed against Russian children’s rights ombudsman  Pavel Astakhov.A Moscow court ordered Torry Hansen to pay 50,000 rubles ($1,500) in legal costs.Hansen had sued Astakhov over a       website post in which he called her the “adoptive mother” of  Artyom Savelyev. Hansen insisted she was a “former adoptive   mother.”

U.S. Mom Who Sent Boy Back to Russia Loses Lawsuit

[RIA Novosti 9/10/12]