Armenian-American business owner Anna Ivanyan, owner of Tigranakert Meat Market in Van Nuys, has sued Dr. Mehmet Oz, alleging that his January fraud video falsely linked her small business to criminal activity and the so-called “Russian Armenian Mafia,” damaging both her reputation and livelihood. According to TMZ, the lawsuit claims Oz filmed outside her shop while alleging billions of dollars in healthcare and hospice fraud in the area, creating the false impression that her market was part of a criminal operation.
TMZ reported on April 1 that Ivanyan’s lawsuit accuses Oz of featuring her business in a viral video posted across social media in late January while alleging that billions of dollars in healthcare fraud, including hospice-related schemes, were tied to what he described as the “Russian Armenian Mafia.” According to TMZ, Ivanyan says Oz filmed directly outside her business while making those claims and is now seeking damages for the harm she says the video caused to both her business and reputation.
The lawsuit is the latest development in the backlash to Oz’s January video, in which the CMS Administrator filmed in Van Nuys and portrayed an Armenian-American neighborhood as a center of fraud and organized crime.
In that video, Oz said a four-block stretch of Van Nuys contained 42 hospices, claimed roughly $3.5 billion in fraud had taken place in hospice and home care in the area, and alleged that “quite a bit of it” was run by the “Russian Armenian mafia.” He also pointed to Armenian-language signage in the area and referred to it as a “dialect,” while standing outside Armenian-owned businesses.
The video triggered widespread backlash from Armenian-Americans, state officials, and advocacy groups, who condemned Oz for ethnic profiling and for casting suspicion on an entire community by treating Armenian language, identity, and businesses as signs of criminality. California Governor Gavin Newsom later filed a formal civil rights complaint against Oz with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, arguing that Oz had made “baseless and racist allegations against Armenian-Americans in California.” Newsom’s office said those remarks risked chilling participation in federal healthcare programs and had already caused “real-world harm” to Armenian-owned businesses shown in the footage.
One of those businesses, Tigranakert Lavash, an Armenian bakery whose signage appeared in Oz’s video, reported a roughly 30% drop in business after the footage was released, according to ABC7 and multiple later reports citing the governor’s complaint. Other Los Angeles-area business owners whose storefronts appeared in the video have also denied any involvement in fraud.
TMZ also reported that Ivanyan’s lawsuit says Oz’s statements were amplified by Los Angeles television news coverage after the video spread online, further increasing the damage. According to TMZ, the complaint alleges the statements reached millions of viewers and spread among her customers and the broader community. TMZ added that it contacted Oz’s representatives for comment and had not received a response at the time of publication.
