Comment James Marsh - Masha Allen's attorney
I am Masha Allen's attorney. The failure to discuss her case in detail tells me that this conference was little more than window dressing on a serious problem. It's not about being "pro" or "anti" adoption; it's about doing the right thing (which remains in short supply).
The audacity of Jeannene Smith appearing (although I heard she was booed) is like Josef Mengele attending a medical convention. The fact that she lasted one final year at ROTIA after several powerful Congressmen said she should be in JAIL just proves that no one is really demanding accountability.
As you recognize there is a lot of "talk" about "doing the right thing" but very little ACTION.
Earlier this year we filed a complaint about ROTIA for the Masha Allen debacle with JCICS. Even though JCICS was at the Masha Allen Congressional hearing in September 2006 AND testified AND heard the entire thing, there was no unilateral action on their part to sanction ROTIA. We had to file a formal complaint and once we did JCICS allowed ROTIA to resign instead of vigorously pursing the complaint.
If Masha did not have lawyers, publicity and was just another child caught up in a sad story, JCICS would not have done ANYTHING about ROTIA. And sadly that's eventually what happened. To argue that there's accountability, peer review and self-policing is a lie.
Finally, if there is one constant in Masha's case it is that the international AND domestic adoption system failed her repeatedly. Jeannene Smith was the linchpin for both of her disastrous placements, first with Matthew Mancuso and then with Faith Allen (a/k/a Lynn Ginn & Kimberly Murphy). The "official" adoption community has been woefully silent on both these failed adoptions.
Now that Masha's Russian sister has appeared and is ready to tell the real story, the entire adoption community will begin yet another round of hand wringing, testy defensive editorials (thank you Adam Pertman), and blanket denials. I expect my phone will be ringing with more death threats. Trust me, the final chapter in the Masha Allen saga remains unwritten. And Jeannene Smith un-indicted - at least for now.
James R. Marsh
happily adopted in 1965
www.MarshLaw.net