Woman attacked by dogs wins 637,000 TL compensation lawsuit: 'They should seek their rights'

The incident occurred on January 10, 2019, at around 07:00 in the Boztepe district of Kırşehir. After putting her daughter on the school bus, Sebahat Karaman was attacked by 9 dogs on her way home.

Rescued by the intervention of neighbors, Karaman was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Karaman suffered tissue loss in her right ear pinna, a part of her earlobe, and both of her arms.

Following the incident, Karaman filed a complaint against the dog owners and initiated a compensation lawsuit. In the case heard at the Kırşehir 2nd Civil Court of First Instance in May 2026, the court ruled that the defendants were 'strictly liable' under Article 67 of the Turkish Code of Obligations, which regulates the liability of animal keepers.

The court stated that Karaman's injuries were not minor enough to be treated with simple medical intervention, that they endangered her life, and that the lesions on her facial area and the partial tissue loss on her right ear pinna constituted a permanent scar. It was calculated that Karaman's disability rate was 37 percent, her temporary incapacity loss for 3 months was 6,062 lira and 70 kuruş, and her permanent incapacity loss was 431,193 lira and 50 kuruş.

It was decided that 437,156 lira and 20 kuruş in pecuniary and 200,000 lira in non-pecuniary compensation be paid

The court decided that a total of 437,156 lira and 20 kuruş in pecuniary and 200,000 lira in non-pecuniary compensation be paid to Karaman. Furthermore, it was ruled that 30,000 lira in non-pecuniary compensation be paid to Karaman's spouse, and 10,000 lira each to the other 2 plaintiffs. It was decided that the compensation be collected from the defendants with legal interest to accrue from the date of the incident. The appeal filed by the defendants against the decision was rejected on its merits by the 24th Civil Chamber of the Ankara Regional Court of Justice. Following this, the defendants appealed the decision.

Reviewing the appeal, the 3rd Civil Chamber of the Court of Cassation stated that a person who keeps an animal is obliged to take measures to prevent the animal from harming others and to show the necessary care. The decision noted that for an animal keeper to be relieved of liability, they must prove that they showed the necessary care or that the damage could not have been prevented even if such care had been shown.

The Court of Cassation ruled that allowing the dogs under the defendants' care to roam freely without necessary precautions such as chains and leashes, in a way that poses a danger to environmental safety, constituted a violation of the duty of care and supervision.

The defendants' objection was not accepted

The defendants' objection that Karaman provoked the dogs by waving a stick in her hand was also not accepted. The decision stated that Karaman's presence outside in the morning hours and her use of the stick in her hand with the instinct of self-protection to prevent the dog attack were not of a nature to break the causal link between the incident and the damage. The Court of Cassation stated that the expert report was suitable for review and that the awarded non-pecuniary compensation was in accordance with equity, thereby rejecting the defendants' appeal objections. Thus, the 3rd Civil Chamber of the Court of Cassation unanimously upheld the decision of the 24th Civil Chamber of the Ankara Regional Court of Justice.

"We won the court case, justice was served. Others are being mauled by dogs, they should seek their rights"

Expressing that justice was served by winning the case, Sebahat Karaman said, "In 2019, while I was putting my daughter on the school bus, 9 dogs came and knocked me down. I put my daughter on the bus and the dogs came to me. They attacked me; they were going to take me to a pit and eat me. May my enemies not see what I saw; I suffered a lot. The wounds caused by the dogs do not heal. I experienced this incident; may no one else experience it. Now I am afraid of dogs and cats. I filed a complaint. I took it to court. I won the court case. I received my rights. I am afraid now, I cannot do any work. My hands do not function, my psychology is broken. I suffered a lot; 9 dogs were on top of me. The dog owners were objecting to the court; it lasted 7 years. The decision was announced, we won the court case, justice was served. Others are being mauled by dogs, they should seek their rights. The dog wounds never heal. My ears are always wounded, my mouth is always wounded, I have wounds on my head," she said.