A looming legal showdown between Turkey and victims of the May 2017 Sheridan Circle beatdown by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security guards has taken a further turn with the Turkish government engaging the services of the Saltzman & Evinch law firm and seeking more time to assemble its defense. The move marks a departure from the government's previous attempts to downplay the affair, rejecting summons, painting the plaintiffs as terrorists and claiming the guards had acted in “self-defense.”

The US District Court for the District of Columbia said it had granted Turkey’s request to extend by 55 days a Feb. 16 deadline to respond to court summons related to the case. This would enable Turkey “to address the legal, factual and political issues raised by the Plaintiff’s allegations.” 

The victims, mostly Kurdish protesters, agreed to Turkey’s request for an extension. Turkey could conceivably use the grace period to try to reach out-of-court settlements with some of the plaintiffs, who are seeking over $310 million in damages for alleged assault, battery, conspiracy and terrorism by the presidential agents.

The violence erupted when the guards attacked the group gathered outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence on Sheridan Circle minutes after Erdogan’s sedan pulled into the driveway. One of the plaintiffs, Lusik Usoyan, a female activist who campaigns for fellow Yazidis, suffered brain damage after being repeatedly kicked in the head. The melee provoked a barrage of outrage, with Republican Sen. John McCain demanding that Turkey’s ambassador be kicked out of the United States.