Court dismisses businessperson's claim for damages against daily Cumhuriyet

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A court has dismissed businessperson Mehmet Cengiz's claim for damages against Cumhuriyet over a report about a construction project carried out by his company.

Alleging that the report constituted an "unfair action through the press," Cengiz requested one million lira (~136,000 USD) in compensation from reporter Hazal Ocak and the newspaper's grant holder Alev Coşkun.

The report was about the reconstruction of the historic buildings in Hüseyin Avni Paşa Grove, an area with the view of the Bosphorus Strait in İstanbul's Asian-side district of Üsküdar.

Accordingly, four new buildings were being built in the place of two historic mansions and one outbuilding.

One of the buildings, the Hüseyin Avni Paşa Mansion, burned down in 2014, after Cengiz Construction company, owned by Mehmet Cengiz, bought the grove. The construction ban on the land was lifted after Cengiz's purchase, according to Cumhuriyet.

Cengiz requested one million lira for immaterial damages, alleging that the newspaper "committed a tortious act through the press" and "such reports cause irreparable damage to the credibility and reputation of him."

Handing down its judgment yesterday (January 26), the İstanbul 14th Penal Court of First Instance refused to open a case into the allegations. (HA/VK)