A long-running inheritance dispute tied to one of Turkey’s wealthiest families has played out in Palm Beach County courts for more than 15 years. The case centers on the estate of Dr. Mehmet Salih Tatlici, a billionaire businessman who died in 2009, and a lawsuit brought by his biological sons against their stepmother, Nurten Tatlici, and their half-brother, Ugur Tatlici.
Court filings and jury proceedings in Florida have focused on questions about property transfers and financial accounts and whether Tatlici’s heirs received their lawful shares under Turkish inheritance law. Recent developments have brought renewed attention to the case and its cross-border legal implications.
More: Florida jury orders billionaire’s widow, son to pay $535 million after years-long inheritance war
Mehmet Tatlici appears in an undated photo.
Stepmom accused of hiding inheritance
When Mehmet Salih Tatlici died in February 2009, he left behind an estate worth more than $3 billion, including Istanbul’s iconic Tat Towers, hundreds of properties across Turkey and real estate in Boca Raton.
A Florida jury found that Nurten and Ugur Tatlici unlawfully concealed part of that fortune, resulting in a verdict ordering them to pay more than half a billion dollars in damages.
Assets moved while father was still alive
Under Turkish inheritance law, biological children are entitled to a protected share of their parent’s estate that cannot be overridden either by wills or asset transfers.
Attorneys for Tatlici’s estate say his three sons discovered that substantial assets had been moved out of his name starting in about 1995. The estate’s attorneys argued these transfers were made deliberately to prevent the sons from receiving their legally protected inheritance.
Why was this case brought to Palm Beach County?
Although much of Tatlici’s wealth was in Turkey, the dispute landed in Palm Beach County because several of the contested assets were based here, including a waterfront mansion in Boca Raton, bank accounts with Wachovia, investment portfolios with Merrill Lynch and other U.S. business holdings.
Under Turkish inheritance law, if allegedly fraudulent transfers involve assets outside Turkey, they must be resolved in the courts where those assets are located, which is why the case was heard in West Palm Beach, more than 6,000 miles from Turkey’s capital city of Ankara.
Who was Dr. Mehmet Salih Tatlici?
Tatlici built his fortune by opening a battery factory that grew into one of Turkey’s largest. He later shifted into real estate development, using his industrial success to acquire more than 200 properties across Turkey and the United States. By the time of his death in 2009, his empire was worth more than $3 billion.
Defendants failed to show up in court
Nurten and Ugur Tatlici have long denied any wrongdoing. But after repeatedly violating court orders, including failing to appear at required mediation hearings, Circuit Judge Jaimie Goodman struck their pleadings and entered a default judgment against them.
That ruling meant the allegations in Mehmet Tatlici’s complaint were legally treated as true, leaving the jury to decide only the amount of damages. The mother and son, represented by the law firm of Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton, have said they plan to appeal the verdict.
Jury orders mom and son to pay half a billion dollars
Jurors deliberated for about three hours on Aug. 27 before awarding $525 million in damages against both defendants and an additional $10 million in damages against the stepmother, totaling $535 million.
Attorneys Jeremy Friedman, Craig Downs and David Durkee of The Downs Law Group, the same firm that had represented the plaintiff since the case began in 2009, helped secure the verdict. Circuit Judge Bradley Harper, the latest of several judges assigned to the case in its 15-year history, entered a final judgment against the defendants on Sept. 3.
Diamond Walker is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at dkwalker@gannett.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jury awards $535 million against Tatlici stepmother and son