17.06.2026 17:01
A verdict has been reached in the case of 60-year-old Servet Polat, who died in 2024 in İzmir after being poisoned by salmonella bacteria from a baked potato she ate. The court's ruling that Polat's two children each receive 50,000 lira in non-pecuniary damages, along with legal interest accruing from the date of the incident, angered the grieving family. Her daughter Bahar Zeyrek, who plans to appeal the decision to a higher court, reacted to the ruling by saying, "Our goal is not money but justice. A mother's life cannot be worth 50,000 lira."
The children of Servet Polat, who was hospitalized in 2024 after eating a baked potato at a business in Buca, Izmir, and died at home after being discharged under suspicion of poisoning, will challenge the decision of 50,000 lira each in non-pecuniary damages to the higher court.
The non-pecuniary damages case regarding Polat's (60) death, heard at the Izmir 23rd Civil Court of First Instance, was concluded on June 11.
The court partially accepted the lawsuit filed by Polat's two children, each seeking 500,000 lira, and ruled that 50,000 lira in non-pecuniary damages should be paid to his daughter Bahar Zeyrek and son Murat Polat, along with legal interest accruing from the date of the incident, December 28, 2024.
"OUR AIM IS NOT MONEY BUT JUSTICE"
Bahar Zeyrek told AA correspondent that she finds the compensation amount insufficient.
Explaining that her mother did not die from any illness but from salmonella bacteria, Zeyrek said, "A person's life should not be this cheap."
Zeyrek stated that no amount of money would bring their mother back and said, "I want everyone responsible here to face their punishment. A mother's life is not worth 50,000 lira. We don't care about the amount. Even if they give me 1 million or 5 million, my mother won't come back. I am seeking justice. We will take the decision to the higher court and appeal. Our aim is not money, but justice."
Noting that she has been experiencing psychological issues after the incident and is still undergoing treatment, Zeyrek said: "Our lives have been destroyed. It's been 18.5 months, and today I looked at my mother's photos for the first time; I couldn't bear it. Everyone there knew us, we couldn't handle it, everything reminded us of my mother. I go down the stairs, it's my mother; I sit down, it's my mother. We had to move out of the house where we lived for 27 years, 15 days after the incident."
"I WANT TO DONATE TO ORPHANED CHILDREN"
Servet Polat's son, Murat Polat, emphasized that their goal in the non-pecuniary damages case is not financial gain, stating, "I want to donate the money to orphaned children. Let it go to children whose mothers have died. After all, our mother died. Even if they gave me the whole world, it wouldn't bring my mother back."
The family's lawyer, Elif Ayyıldız, noted that the case aims for accountability of those responsible and prevention of similar incidents, arguing that the non-pecuniary damages awarded after a mother's death due to negligence are insufficient given the gravity of the incident and the deep emotional devastation experienced by the surviving family members.
Ayyıldız stated that they will appeal the decision to the court of appeals once the reasoned decision is served.
CRIMINAL CASE CONTINUES
Regarding the incident, the criminal case against the unarrested defendants, N.D., owner of the baked potato business, and her husband C.D., who was found to be working at the establishment, continues at the Izmir 17th Heavy Penal Court, with demands for up to 15 years each for "causing death and injury by negligence" and up to 5 years each for "trading in spoiled or adulterated food."
WHAT HAPPENED?
Bahar Zeyrek, who lives in Buca, her mother Servet Polat, and her 11-year-old son Gökhan Zeyrek ate baked potatoes at a business in Efeler District on December 28, 2024. On the same day, they went to Buca Seyfi Demirsoy Training and Research Hospital with complaints of vomiting and diarrhea and returned home after treatment.
The next day, as their discomfort continued, the mother, daughter, and grandson went to the hospital again and were discharged after treatment in the emergency room. Servet Polat died two days after the incident, and her family filed a complaint against the business.
In the report of the Ministry of Justice's Forensic Medicine Institute's 1st Specialization Board, it was stated that Polat's death occurred as a result of "food poisoning."
In the inspection and analysis report of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's Izmir Food Control Laboratory Directorate, "salmonella" bacteria was found in the baked potato sample offered for sale.
The indictment prepared by the Izmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, seeking up to 15 years' imprisonment for the defendants N.D. and C.D. for "causing death and injury by negligence" and up to 5 years for "trading in spoiled or adulterated food," was accepted.