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World-renowned Turkish-American cardiac surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz has filed a $40,000 lawsuit in Türkiye against his former lawyer, accusing him of withholding assets without his knowledge or consent, Turkish local media reported Tuesday.
Oz, who also serves as Administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under U.S. President Donald Trump, lost his father, Mustafa Oz, in 2019. Following his father’s death, Oz granted power of attorney to lawyer Erhan Baki S. to resolve inheritance disputes with his sister, Nazlim Oz. Acting on his behalf, the lawyer filed a lawsuit to secure Oz’s share of the inheritance.
According to the Turkish media outlet Hurriyet, while the case was ongoing, Nazlim Oz transferred $2.5 million to Erhan Baki S.’ account on behalf of Mehmet Oz for part of his inheritance share. The lawyer allegedly failed to inform Oz of the payment for a significant period.
Once Oz discovered the transfer, he dismissed Erhan Baki S. as his lawyer. Despite repeated requests, the lawyer did not return the funds, according to the report.
Oz subsequently filed a lawsuit at the Istanbul Civil Court of First Instance. His petition read: “For now, we demand the collection of $40,000, together with the highest interest, from lawyer Erhan Baki S. To prevent further damage to our client, we request that precautionary measures be placed on Erhan Baki S.’s accounts.”
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In his defense, Baki S. reportedly argued that he was the real creditor, claiming he was owed attorney’s fees for lawsuits and investigations he handled on Oz’s behalf, as well as expenses incurred during those cases.
Meanwhile, the court decided to merge this case with another debt lawsuit already pending between Oz and the lawyer, ruling that the two were connected.
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