T-G EXCLUSIVE: Nancy Hansen speaks out on Russian adoption case

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.

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.

But now, Torry's mother, Nancy Hansen, is speaking out about the case, leveling a series of accusations at their former attorney and the adoption agency suing them.

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.

Wants new lawyer

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.