Customer Must Pay $32,600 for Defaming Eyewear Store

A customer and her partner have been ordered to pay 32,600 shekels (approximately $8,700) in damages to an eyewear store owner for defamation, following a dispute over a 9,000 shekel purchase of multifocal glasses. The customer sought to cancel the transaction the day after purchasing the glasses, claiming the owner had persuaded her to buy them despite her intention to use the funds for her partner's medical treatment. The store owner refused the cancellation, stating the glasses were custom-ordered.

The customer pursued multiple avenues to get her money back, including filing a complaint with the Consumer Protection Authority, which was rejected. She then filed a claim in small claims court, which was also unsuccessful, and an appeal to the District Court, where the store owner's arguments prevailed.

During the legal proceedings, the customer and her partner posted three one-star reviews on Google. One review called the owner a "fraud and a crook," while others alleged customers received nothing and described the store as a place of "lies and threats." Additionally, the customer verbally insulted the owner at his store in front of another customer, calling him a "criminal who needs to be put in jail."

The store owner subsequently sued the couple for defamation. Judge Guy Hyman ruled in favor of the owner, determining that the couple's publications were not truthful and presented opinions as facts. Considering the personal circumstances of the couple, the judge ordered them jointly and severally liable for the payment of 32,600 shekels, covering damages and legal expenses.