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.”
