 On 15 April 1923 , just before the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne , the Turkish government enacted the " Law of Abandoned Properties " which confiscated properties of any Armenian who was not present on their property , regardless of the circumstances of the reason . While local courts were authorized to appraise the value of any property and provide an avenue for property owners to make claims , the law prohibited the use of any power of attorney by absent property holders , preventing them from filing suit without returning to the country . In addition , the defendant in the case would be the state of Turkey which had created specially tasked committees to deal with each case . 
