Support The Moscow Times!

Adoptive U.S. Mom Faces Suit

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — An American woman who sent her adopted Russian son to Moscow alone on a plane with a note saying she didn't want him anymore is facing a lawsuit over child support, which is scheduled for trial in March.

Torry Hansen refused to cooperate with investigators after the boy, then 7, reached Russia in April 2010 with a note stating he had psychological problems. She was never charged criminally, but her adoption agency filed a lawsuit in Tennessee, where she was then living, seeking child support.

The suit is scheduled for trial March 27 in a Shelbyville court.

Hansen had no immediate comment. Her mother, Nancy Hansen, told The Associated Press that her daughter has refused to answer questions sought by attorneys, but a judge will determine whether to compel answers.

The incident drew international attention and prompted new adoption agreements between the United States and Russia.

Kyrgyzstan is allowing foreign adoptions to resume, issuing the first permit to a U.S.-based Christian organization.

The Social Development Ministry said Monday that it chose Christian World Adoption after a rigorous selection process.

Christian World Adoption said the move would allow it to resume adoptions from Kyrgyzstan. International adoptions were suspended in Kyrgyzstan in 2009 as authorities sought to improve regulations and root out corruption in the process.

Almost one-third of the 216 Kyrgyz children adopted between 2005 and 2008 went to the United States.

Read more