Pet Adoption

Hansen ordered to pay $150K, monthly child support (05/18/12)
A former Shelbyville woman who sent her adopted son back to Moscow two years ago was ordered Thursday to make monthly child support payments and pay damages in the case. Torry Hansen was ordered by Circuit Court Judge Lee Russell to pay damages of $150,206 for breach of contract, legal fees and back child support for Artyom Saveliev, plus an additional $1,000 per month of child support starting June 1 until he turns 18...

Hansen wants court order enforced (04/26/12)
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...

Hansen won't appear in court (04/18/12)
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...

Hansen files suit against Russian newspaper (03/18/12)
A former Shelbyville resident who lost her child support lawsuit over a boy she adopted from Russia is reportedly suing a newspaper in that country. According to the Russian Legal Information Agency, Torry Hansen submitted a lawsuit against Rossiyskaya Gazeta, a newspaper founded by the Government of the Russian Federation in 1990 that publishes state decrees...

Hansen must pay: Judge (03/08/12)
LYNCHBURG -- 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...

Hansen must pay child support (03/07/12)
LYNCHBURG -- 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...

Judge to Hansen: Appear (02/24/12)
A former Shelbyville resident has been ordered to appear in person on March 7 in Lynchburg in the continuing case surrounding an international adoption issue. 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-G EXCLUSIVE: Nancy Hansen speaks out on Russian adoption case (02/23/12)
The family of a woman who sent her adopted son back to Russia in 2010 is speaking out, claiming they never wanted the press barred from court proceedings -- and blasting the attorney they fired earlier this month. In April 2010, former Shelbyville resident Torry Hansen sent her adopted Russian son back to Moscow alone on a plane with a note saying he was violent, had psychological problems and that she didn't want him anymore...

Torry Hansen doesn't appear for deposition (02/23/12)
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. Three weeks ago, Hansen was ordered by Circuit Court Judge Lee Russell to be deposed in the ongoing lawsuit filed against her by two adoption agencies for child support and breach of contract...

Hansens' website to tell their views (02/23/12)
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. Nancy Hansen told the T-G in an exclusive interview that within the next several weeks, "there's going to be big breaking news, and it won't be coming from Tennessee."...

Hansen's lawyer asks to step aside (02/17/12)
The attorney for a former Shelbyville resident who abandoned her adopted son from Russia has asked to withdraw from representing her in an ongoing lawsuit. On Wednesday, Sandra L.M. Smith filed a motion to withdraw as counsel for Torry Hansen, stating that the woman "terminated council's [sic] legal services" on Feb. 8...

Hansen ordered to give deposition in child support case (02/02/12)
LYNCHBURG -- 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...

Hansen support suit set for March (01/24/12)
March trial dates have been set for a former Shelbyville woman who sent her adopted Russian son back to Moscow alone on a plane with a note stating she didn't want him anymore. Torry Hansen is facing a lawsuit for child support that could require her to publicly answer questions about her actions. A trial is set to begin March 27 in Bedford County Circuit Court, with a hearing set in the case on Feb. 1...

Russian boy finds adoptive family (01/10/12)
Artyom Savelyev, the boy sent back to Russia by his adopted mother from Shelbyville in 2010, has finally found a home. According to the Russian State News agency RIA Novosti, the 9-year-old has joined 16 other children who are being cared for by a woman that has raised several generations of abandoned children...

Hansen trial reset again (01/04/12)
No trial date has yet to be set for a former Shelbyville resident who sent her adopted Russian child back to his home country in 2010. Tuesday had originally been set for Torry and Nancy Hansen and attorneys representing a Washington state adoption agency to appear in Bedford County Circuit Court for trial...

Monkey case, adoption wrangling among year's top stories (12/28/11)
Perhaps the most unexpected new story of the year, and the continuation of last year's top story, take the sixth and fifth places on the Times-Gazette's annual countdown of the top local news stories of 2011 as determined by a poll of the Times-Gazette staff...

Hansen trial to be open (11/22/11)
The public and news media will be allowed access to the trial and records involving the case of a woman who sent her adopted Russian child back to his home country last year, a judge ruled Monday. However, it seems unlikely that the trial itself will go on in January as planned since both sides did not appear to be ready to proceed...

Pre-trial hearings on adoption case will be open (11/21/11)
A Bedford County judge has ruled that pretrial hearings will be open to the public in the case of a woman who sent her adopted Russian child back to his home country. Torry Hansen was living in Shelbyville in April 2010 when she sent her then-7-year-old son on a plane to Moscow by himself with a note saying she didn't want to be his mother anymore because he had psychological problems...

Hansen hearing postponed as public access debated (10/28/11)
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...

Trial date of Jan. 3 set for Hansen case (10/12/11)
A trial date has been set over a lawsuit against the family that sent an adopted Russian boy back to Moscow last year, sparking an international incident. However, motions will be heard later this month that could possibly bring an end to the litigation...

Shelter pets may be altered before adoption (07/28/11)
A new, grant-funded program would allow Bedford County Animal Control to have animals spayed or neutered at Middle Tennessee Spay & Neuter Clinic before giving them to their new owners, as opposed to the current system, in which owners must have the animals spayed or neutered themselves...

Temporary homes, permanent love (06/21/11)
When the Bedford County Animal Shelter received word recently that the PetSmart Rescue Waggin' was going to be delayed for a few weeks, it could have been very bad news. The kennels were already full and more dogs were being brought in daily. Without the Rescue Waggin' to take them to forever homes in other states, many of the dogs would have to be euthanized because there was no room for all of them...

Clock ticks for adoptable cats (05/31/11)
Last Tuesday, there were six cats and seven kittens euthanized at the Bedford County Animal Control Shelter. On Wednesday morning, there were still 66 cats and kittens waiting -- hoping -- to be adopted before they, too, have to be destroyed. "We're still full, cats and dogs both," said Brenda Goodrich, the shelter director...

Russia awaits Rich ruling on Hansen (02/17/11)
Russian officials have filed documents in Bedford County's juvenile court, saying they want to wait until a local judge rules on a child support case dealing with a boy sent back to Moscow by his adoptive mother before moving forward in that country...

Russian uproar over adopted boy's treatment in Alaska (02/04/11)
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Russian officials are closely watching a case involving an Anchorage mother of six who was charged with child abuse after a video that aired on "Dr. Phil" showed her punishing her adopted Russian son by squirting hot sauce into his mouth and forcing him into a cold shower...

Attorneys blast motion in Russian adoption case (02/02/11)
"Abhorrent" is how attorneys representing two adoption agencies involved in the matter of an boy sent back to Russia are describing arguments to dismiss the case. In late December, a lawyer representing Torry Hansen filed a motion to dismiss child support claims made by Hansen's adoption agency, the World Association for Children and Parents (WACAP)...

Hansen child support asked (01/20/11)
A court in Russia is demanding that a former Shelbyville resident pay $2,500 a month in child support for the care of the boy she sent back to his homeland. Meanwhile, the family at the center of the controversy has a new lawyer. Legal wrangling continues in the case of the boy returned to Moscow by adoptive mother Torry Hansen, with an official from that country now claiming that she is refusing to give up her parental rights and does not want to pay child support...

Readers choose Russian adoption case as top story (01/05/11)
Voters in a non-scientific poll at the Times-Gazette web site strongly agreed with the newspaper staff choice of the Russian adoption case as the top local news story of 2010, although there were differences elsewhere in the ranking. From Dec. 26 through Jan. ...

Adoption draws world's gaze (01/02/11)
An international adoption gone bad, which brought world media attention to Shelbyville, has been voted the top story of 2010 by a poll of Times-Gazette staff members. Coming in at number two was an ongoing dispute about how to pay for city garbage collection...

Finally, a family: Two little miracles transform couple's life (12/26/10)
Sounds of Elmo and Thomas The Train rang through the Dunn household this Christmas. It hasn't always been that way. "We had been married for 13 years and had come to the conclusion that we just weren't going to be able to have kids," said Kim Dunn, who helps run her family business at Redd's Heating & Cooling. "John and I both have a niece on each side of the family and so that's what we would do on Christmas ... spoil them."...

No new hearing date set for Russian boy (11/09/10)
No date for a new hearing has been scheduled for legal action in the case of a Russian boy sent back to his homeland by his adoptive mother. A hearing had been initially set for last Monday in Bedford County Juvenile Court concerning the matter surrounding 7-year-old Justin A. Hansen, who was sent back to back to Moscow in April without an adult escort by his adoptive mother Torry Hansen, which triggered an international uproar over the adoption of Russian children...

Next Hansen court action in November (10/12/10)
A hearing has been set for November in juvenile court concerning legal action in the case of a Russian boy sent back to his homeland by his adoptive mother. Lawyers will appear next on Nov. 1 to discuss the case of 7-year-old Justin A. Hansen, who was sent back to back to Moscow in April without an adult escort by his adoptive mother Torry Hansen, which triggered an international uproar over the adoption of Russian children...

Status conference set for Hansen situation (10/08/10)
A status conference is scheduled for Monday in Bedford County Juvenile Court concerning a petition in the case of a Russian boy sent back to his homeland by his adoptive mother. In April, adoptive mother Torry Hansen sent 7-year-old Justin A. Hansen, also known as Artyom Savelyev, back to Moscow without an adult escort, triggering an international uproar over the adoption of Russian children...

Soul of a servant: Adoption advocate lauded for caring support (10/03/10)
Local adoption worker Sandra Roberts enjoyed every bit of what she called her 15 minutes of fame last month. A trip to the Vanderbilt chancellor's home, a sleek black gown and nail polish called "I'm not really a waitress" had this self-described country girl living the high life...

Documents 'fudged' because of concerns about Russian response (08/22/10)
E-mails between adoption workers involved with the case of a Russian boy who was sent back to his homeland alone by a former Shelbyville woman appear to indicate that reports about the placement of the child to Russian officials may have been "fudged."...

Hansen petition transferred to juvenile court (08/13/10)
A petition requesting an adoption agency be appointed as a temporary guardian for a Russian boy sent back to his homeland by his adoptive mother has been moved to juvenile court. The World Association for Children and Parents filed the petition in May requesting that Bedford County's Circuit Court appoint the agency as a temporary guardian for 8-year-old Justin A. Hansen...

Venue change asked for Hansen (07/30/10)
A Bedford County judge will rule next month whether a petition filed by an adoption agency to be appointed as a temporary guardian for a Russian boy sent back to his homeland by his adopted mother will be moved to juvenile court. In May, the World Association for Children and Parents filed a petition requesting that Bedford County's Circuit Court appoint the agency as a temporary guardian for eight-year-old Justin A. Hansen...

Russia, US officials near adoption accord (06/17/10)
Russia's children's rights ombudsman says U.S. officials have agreed to the main provisions of a new agreement that would allow Americans to begin adopting Russian children again, but that more time is needed for technical details. Adoptions in Russia became a highly emotional issue after Torry Hansen of Shelbyville sent her 7-year-old boy, Justin, back to Russia unaccompanied in April. Torry Hansen claimed that her adopted son had emotional problems with which she was unable to deal...

Adoption agency asks to intervene in Hansen case (05/13/10)
A petition filed by an out-of-state adoption agency in the case involving the Russian boy sent back to his homeland by his adopted mother is "new ground," according to a Bedford County court official. The World Association for Children and Parents filed the petition Tuesday requesting that the county's Circuit Court appoint the agency as a temporary guardian for Justin A. Hansen, the 8-year-old at the center of the controversy...

Russian boy brightens lives of young family (05/09/10)
There's no doubt that when this story hits the Internet, every major news company with a Google alert set up for "Russian," "adoption" and "Shelbyville" will flag it. Sorry to disappoint you guys, but this story has a happy ending. Or rather -- a happy beginning, since the Mother's Day tale of Donna, Ricky, Brandon and Matthew has just begun .....

Adoption case remains on hold (04/29/10)
Three weeks after a Shelbyville woman placed an unaccompanied boy on a flight to Moscow with a note that claimed he was violent, Bedford County Sheriff Randall Boyce said he is awaiting word from District Attorney General Chuck Crawford on the next step in the case...

Russia: US adoptions freeze to last for weeks (04/19/10)
MOSCOW (AP) -- All Russian adoptions to the United States will remain suspended until a new agreement is negotiated, which could take up to two months, the Kremlin's children's rights ombudsman said Monday. Russia froze U.S. adoptions last week after a boy was put on a plane back to Russia by his adoptive American mother, Torry Hansen of Shelbyville. Hansen said she "no longer wishes to parent" Justin Hansen, also known as Artyom Savelyev, who had just turned 8...

Russian adoption confusion rattles US families (04/16/10)
NEW YORK (AP) -- For the Zukors in Maryland, and hundreds of other families across the U.S., there were anxious and confusing moments Thursday as reports surfaced -- and then were questioned -- regarding a freeze of adoptions from Russia. "You've got to expect the unexpected," said Christie Zukor, who along with her husband, Ken, adopted four siblings from Russia in 2007 and has a pending application to adopt their 15-year-old half-sister...

D.A.: Interview or no case (04/16/10)
The District Attorney General says that unless his office can speak to a 7-year-old boy adopted from Russia, he may not have a case against a Shelbyville woman who sent the boy back to his homeland by himself. Meanwhile, there was confusion over the issue after a Foreign Ministry spokesman in Moscow said that adoptions of Russian children by U.S. families had been suspended, even as other Russian and U.S. officials disputed this...

US-Russian adoption status unclear (04/15/10)
MOSCOW (AP) -- A Foreign Ministry spokesman said Thursday that adoptions of Russian children by U.S. families had been suspended, although other Russian and U.S. officials disputed this.... Spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said during a briefing that new adoptions by Americans are on hold pending a visit in the next few days by a U.S. delegation to reach an accord on future placement of Russian children....

Adoption case stays in 'limbo' (04/15/10)
Bedford County investigators said Wednesday they are "still digging" into the matter of a Shelbyville woman who sent a boy she adopted from Russia back to his homeland unaccompanied. Other details surrounding the case continued to emerge on the other side of the world, while in Shelbyville national media crews began dialing down their coverage...

Local investigators hope to talk with Hansens and Russian child (04/14/10)
Efforts are underway to arrange for an interview with the Russian boy who has claimed he was abused by his adoptive family in Shelbyville. District Attorney General Chuck Crawford has requested Bedford County Sheriff's Department, as well as Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, to look into the matter of an adopted child who was returned to Russia by a Shelbyville family last week...

DA asks sheriff's department, TBI to investigate adoption case (04/13/10)
Efforts are currently underway to arrange for an interview with the Russian boy who has claimed he was abused by his adoptive family in Shelbyville. District Attorney General Chuck Crawford has requested the Bedford County Sheriff's Department, as well as the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, to look into the matter of an adopted child who was returned to Russia by a Shelbyville family last week...

Hansens' absence hurts adoption probe (04/13/10)
Investigators had hoped to speak Monday to the adoptive mother of a Russian boy who has become the center of an international incident, as well as her mother, but once again, she was a no-show. In fact, said Bedford County Sheriff Randall Boyce at a press conference Monday afternoon, he said he doubted Torry Hansen, or her mother, Nancy Hansen, were going to come in at all...

National media keeps vigil at Hansen home (04/12/10)
Investigators had hoped to speak Monday to the adoptive mother of a Russian boy who has become the center of an international incident. But .... Although satellite vans from major networks parked in the parking lot of the church next door to the homes of Torry Hansen and her mother, Nancy Hansen, all weekend, no one was seen leaving or entering. But there were indications someone was there...

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