Adoption nightmare: Family sues Eugene-based Holt International

From KLCC Studios, this is Oregon on the record. I'm Michael Dunn. Holt International based in Eugene is a globally recognized adoption organization that helps families find children all over the world. The service they offer can help literally build families and make the dreams of some parents come true. But as you'll hear, for one family, their interaction with Holt International was a nightmare. Today on the show, you'll hear from a reporter at the Register Guard who broke the story of what happened when the family found out that the child they were adopting through Holt had undisclosed mental health challenges. of such a nature that the parents feared for her safety and theirs. Then, in the second part of the show, our own Zach Ziegler will join us to talk about several interesting stories that give a reading on the housing and real estate market in our community. That's next on Oregon on the record.

One could imagine that adopting a child must be a delicate balancing act between hope and reality. Expectant parents hope for the best, but must be prepared for some unknowns not having known the child for the first part of its life. But as you'll hear today on the show, one family who adopted a child in Asia from Eugene-based Holt International has lost all hope for a normal life and are confronted with a grim reality. A registered guard reporter brings us the story now. Haley Kachanski, who is a breaking news and public safety reporter for the Register Guard. Haley, great to see you. Thanks so much for coming in. Happy to be here. Yeah, boy, a very large and exhaustive piece that you did involving Eugene's Holt International and a family. Let's start with this. Just, you know, for folks who may not know, remind folks what Holt International is and what it does. Holt International is a locally based... International Adoption Services Agency founded in 1956 by Harry Ann Bertha Holt on the heels of the Korean War. Okay, okay. And so they're one of the biggest names in global adoption, right? Right. Yeah. So then why don't you tell the audience who are the, I believe it's the Irwin Colossantis? Right. So... Benjamin Netanyahu Irwin and Angela Colissanti are a Pennsylvania family who sued Holt International in 2025, alleging they were coerced into adopting a child from Thailand with severe psychiatric and behavioral health needs beyond what they could reasonably accommodate. So maybe take us through. Their allegations, how this could sort of happen, maybe set up sort of the process by which they engage with Holt International to adopt a child and maybe take us through from their allegations, what went wrong? Right. So Irwin and Colissanti were matched with a then seven-year-old girl identified in court documents as KR in 2021 through the Holt-T Thailand Special Needs Program, where children are labeled to have minor to moderate physical and developmental. needs. Okay. And so they engaged with this process having experience with international adoption. Okay. With their daughter from China. So it sounds like perhaps, and correct me if I'm wrong, kind of different levels or degrees of challenge here. This child was identified as having some special needs, but the family is alleging boy. it was a lot more severe than they were led to believe. Is that kind of the crux of it? Right. So the parents were at first told that the child had ADHD, which would resolve or improve with medication. However, Through multiple hospital visits, they came to learn that she had Turner syndrome, hyperlipidemia, intellectual and developmental disability, an anxiety disorder, latent tuberculosis infection, Hashimoto's, and several other. Oh. So a whole laundry list of really challenging diagnoses. I guess, you know, as best you were able to determine, I mean, was there like a, when the family adopted this child,

Did they get to know the child first? Was there any kind of a process by which a family could see for themselves what this child might be experiencing? Right. So the family did travel to Thailand in 23 to meet the child at an orphanage. Okay. And they were able to... take the child to a hotel and kind of engage with them, see if it was a right match, see how comfortable the child was. But the child did begin to exhibit certain concerning behaviors, like attempting to jump off of an 11-story hotel terrace. Wow. banging her head against a wall, just other concerning behaviors that the family did bring to Holt's attention, but was told you're her last chance. Hmm. You're her last hope. So, and I think that gets into what they're alleging here is this idea of coercion. Basically, if I'm hearing you right, the family is alleging Holt said, if you don't take this child, she has no hope. Correct. Yes, according to the complaint. Okay. So. The family went ahead based on what they had seen and what Holt had told them. They went ahead and adopted this child. So given that, and I know that you were able to pour through the complaint. In the complaint, the legal complaint, what did the parents say about their life with this very challenged child? The child arrived. in Pennsylvania with the family in May of 2023 and she was hospitalized within two days of her arrival and would continue to be hospitalized over the course of six months at multiple hospitals all across Pennsylvania. Wow. She had an aggressive physical behavior with the family. And the complaint says the child hit, kick, bit family members through furniture, sought weapons in the household, attacked family members while they were sleeping, and attempted to escape on numerous occasions. Wow. So so much more, in the allegation, so much more than they bargained for. So given all this, What has Holt said? I know it's a lawsuit. I know sometimes they can't say much, but is there any, is Holt defending themselves against this lawsuit? Is there anything in the public domain that you've been able to ascertain that is Holt defending what they did?

No, Holt did not respond to request for comment. Okay, okay. So what happens, where is the lawsuit now? It's been filed. What sort of happens next? Right. So the lawsuit was first filed on September 5th, 2025 in Pennsylvania and was transferred to Eugene on July 22nd. Okay. All right. And so I think it's, is it being? heard in federal court? Is that right? It is. Okay. Okay. And that's because I guess it's a federal statute when you're talking about adoption and international adoption or something like that. Correct. Okay. Okay. Haley, are there other allegations that the family is making with regard to this whole process? Well, before adopting the child, the family signed a placement agreement that expressly stated Holt would explore other placement options and treatment for the child, including foster and institutional care if the adoption process were to be disrupted, which the family did do two months after. K.R. arrived to the U.S. However, Holtz is not licensed to provide foster care or institutional care services in Pennsylvania. So just another part of this whole challenge. Where is the child now? We don't know the answer to that, actually. Okay. Okay. The attorneys for the family declined to comment on the child's current placement condition or other matters beyond the allegations that were set forth in the complaint. Okay. Boy, in addition to having conversations or... during your conversations with the attorney. Is there, what are they seeking here? Is it monetary damages? Kind of what does the lawsuit ask for? The family has experienced a lot of financial and social strain due to the amount of effort and treatment they've had to put. toward the child and her needs. And so what they're really hoping for is an ethical placement. for the child. They just want the best for her, according to the lawsuit. There are some monetary figures in there, but it's not super clear on just the total amount of... Sure. It sounds like what they're looking for is that this child is going to need permanent, very, very advanced care, which, of course, is expensive. Yes. Okay. Okay. I don't know if you had the opportunity. Is this...

The first lawsuit of its kind against Holt International have there been as far as you can ascertain? Any other complaints of a similar nature to this? There have been similar complaints in the past. However, I'm not at liberty to comment because I have much more research. I see. I see. All right. Well. It's a very challenging, very sad story, obviously, and really appreciate you bringing it to us. We've been talking to Haley Kaczynski. She is the breaking news and public safety reporter for the Register Guard, her story about the lawsuit against Eugene-based Holt International. Haley, thanks so much for coming in and talking to us. Thank you for having me. Let's bring in KLCC Zach Ziegler to talk about some interesting housing and real estate happenings in the community. KLCC's Zach Ziegler, always great to see you in studio. Thanks so much for coming in. Yeah, sure thing. I think we're going to have to expand your expansive portfolio of stories to include housing and real estate. You've got three pieces you've done recently that I want to talk about because it's such a vital component for Eugene and the overall community. Talk about what you found out with the housing market in Lane County. Yeah, you know, one handy thing is you do get from... local realtors associations they will put together these monthly statistics and a big one that they often look at is a statistic called inventory so the idea behind it is if the number of houses on the market at any given time how many months would it take to sell off that number of houses okay it's a good measure so that you know the difference between A smaller market like, say, Cottage Grove versus a bigger market, Portland. If you have these two equivalencies, that's what really matters. Okay. And here in the Eugene Springfield market, it's hit about, actually, they just published new numbers. I can tell you about two. Okay. The numbers saved right around two and a half months of inventory. Now, what I've always been told is a balanced market between buyers and sellers is around four-ish months. But the person that I spoke to, who's one of the heads of the Springfield Realtors Association, said, hey, two and a half months isn't bad. There have been times that this market has been below one month's worth of inventory, which really tilts things in favor of the seller because that house is just going to be snatched. tapped up super quick. You've got to move quick and you don't have much time to make a decision. So are we still in a seller's market? Yeah, yeah. Things are still very much so in favor of the sellers, though it is getting a little more balance than it's been in the past. You know, it's not the days where you put your house on the market. You have one open house. And by the end of that weekend, you've got a stack of offers that are all over asking price. Those days really aren't.

aren't happening as much now. Okay. When you talk to these experts, I guess looking out a bit, we look at both the national and the state economy, and there's a lot of concern about will things cool. Any ideas about what they're looking for, kind of what might? be good or bad depending on what happens with inflation or whatnot. Yeah, that's always the trick because, you know, with inflation going up, house prices continue to increase, mostly thanks to the rates that you have to pay in interest. When you're borrowing, that's the big issue. And so while, you know, from this time last year, you know, the medium price may be down a bit. It's still kind of going up as far as what you would pay per month because you're paying more to the bank. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, let's switch gears to the interview you did as part of your Rainmaker's podcast. You talked to Daniel, the founder of paradigm properties. And Eugene, maybe. Tell us, okay, what's going on there? What is he seeing as a big-time developer for the downtown area? Yeah, yeah. Dan Sullivan big project that he's got coming up is a spot called the Butterfly Lot. That is about two-thirds of an acre that sits directly north of the Farmers Market Pavilion. And he and the city are working together to put up 100 units with a first floor of retail there. So... Based on the size of that lot, that's going to be, you know, quite a bit of upward building. Yeah. And we keep hearing, we need more housing. End of, end of sentence. We just do. And certainly in the downtown quarter where. As I understand it, you know, there isn't as much commercial real estate as there used to be the pandemic being a big part of that. Talk about how important a project like this can be for someplace like Eugene. Yeah, you know, the hope is that with building this up, it's, it's, Dan said this is the first market rate. project in the core of downtown in a long time. There's been some peripheral projects, you know, building along Broadway, not far from our office here. Sure. Fifth Street. There's, there's been those kind of projects, but this is one that is really kind of new. There's also been some affordable housing built in the area and will be more actually another project on Willamette Street. But. Adding this kind, not only does it add to the housing stock in the area, it also helps bring people back into the downtown core, which is always something that is talked about with helping the area regulate some of the issues that come with an unhoused population. They're looking for a place to hang out and not be bothered. Sure. Isn't that what all of us ask for in life is a place where we can hang out and not be bothered? And not just the studio here. Well, but Zach,

And if you're just joining us, we're talking to our own, Zach Ziegler, about some of the stories he's done recently about housing and real estate. Mixed use. That's another, I think, key component here because obviously it offers more than just housing. Talk about the importance of mixed use in a place like Eugene. It is a common thing to see people wanting when you're building with some density. It's a nice little add on to be able to, you know, just hop in the elevator, go down to the first floor and do a little shopping. Do what you need. It's something that is across. really across the U.S. becoming a more common thing as you get this more dense style of building. People like it, especially when you're in a downtown, downtown adjacent kind of property. It's really something that adds some benefit to where you're living. Yeah, yeah. I did want to talk to you about what Mr. Neal said about collaboration with the city. I think, you know, there are times when we've heard that Eugene could be somewhat unfriendly. Talk about what his experience has been. Yeah, he talked about how there are certain advantages that you can get, you know, a main one is what's called the multi-use property tax exemption. It basically defers your property taxes for about 10 years, covering the span of building, the span of filling up. your new development and oftentimes a little on top of that. And it can help with offsetting some costs that that are often high with a project like this. You know as environmental standards get higher, it gets more and more expensive to build. Adding the cost per unit, building it up, this helps defer some of that cost over time. Okay. Is he bullish on downtown Eugene, especially, you know, he's got this property that he's looking to stand up, is he have future plans for similar kinds of properties? He has worked on other properties around the area, and he does. He seemed to be pretty bullish. He himself lives in a condo that's not far from downtown. And he said, you know, there are definitely people who want that amenity. If you look of the two riverfront projects, once again talking about downtown adjacent. Sure. One of those, he said from what he's heard, is entirely full already. The other is still filling up. uh you know some development is is definitely filling up there is demand uh for for housing in the area it seems uh the one area that he talked about that was of a concern though is the amount of student housing going up in that space between downtown and the university especially we're seeing across the board really enrollment dropping at universities at plenty of them

That means that there's not the demand for this housing. And the issue is it's a little bit inelastic with how it's built. These are often, you know, multiple bedrooms that are leased individually feeding into a common area. You know, who has the need for a four bedroom apartment unless you're in a large city, like something like New York City. Then maybe you would have a need. But until then, you know, a place like Eugene, if you have a family where you need three, four bedrooms, you're probably. looking more in a suburban area is where you want to end up. Sure. Speaking of ending up, your last story about houses almost ending up at the bottom of a hill, but he did some digging and found two properties that were heavily damaged during a landslide that... They're back on the market. Talk all about this. It's an unusual story. Yeah. Back in April of 2025, there was a handful of three houses actually in total in the Moon Mountain subdivision that had a landslide occur out from under them. One of the houses moved enough that it has just been completely removed. I actually went out there to look at this and take some pictures for the story. There's just this one vacant lot. Well, the two houses on either side, the builder is come back, done some mitigation work, put in some retaining walls, actually rebuilt decks on the outside and set the porches that were there. And the houses are back on the market now. They're off of Rockcrest Road in that subdivision that's kind of on the southeast end of town. Well, do you think they can get a good price for them? What is the, what do you think? By the market standards, they actually are not asking for much. Okay. The price per square foot on average for a home in Eugene is $313 a square foot. They're asking more in the low to mid-200s on this. I believe it was 230 or 250. If you want the exact. number please go to the story i have it there yeah but those numbers you know tell you that that they realize that maybe when a buyer gets those disclosures and saw what happened there could be some concern there so they have to make it worth You're wild to think about that. I mean, there is also still with these houses, there's an ongoing lawsuit from the previous owners in regards to this. So there's, I'm sure there's plenty of concern for them there, but, you know, they're priced accordingly. We've all heard about a sliding scale, but this is something different. Great stories, great work. Zach Ziegler, who covers so much for us. Thank you for coming in talking. Yeah, sure thank.

That's the show for today. All episodes of Oregon on the Record are available as a podcast at KLCC.org. Tomorrow on the show, we talk with a leader at the Oregon Department of Forestry about the changing nature of wildfire in Oregon and how firefighters are being forced to adapt. I'm Michael Dunn, host of Oregon on the record. Thanks for listening.