Israeli Court Awards Former Officer NIS 700,000 in Sexual Harassment Case

An Israeli court has ordered a former local police officer, Yonatan Salomon, and the Shoham Local Council to pay NIS 532,000 in compensation to a former female officer who was sexually harassed by Salomon. Salomon is personally liable for NIS 452,000 of the sum, while the council must pay NIS 80,000. This ruling was made by Judge Doron Yiftach of the Regional Labor Court in Tel Aviv.

Including previous rulings, the total compensation awarded to the former officer will reach NIS 700,000, with the council contributing NIS 205,000 of that amount. The female officer, born in 1992, began working in the council's supervision department in 2018 under Salomon, who had been a police officer since 1990. In 2019, she filed a complaint detailing verbal sexual harassment by Salomon, who retired shortly thereafter. The Police Investigations Department (Mahash) closed the case based on her complaint. The officer was dismissed a year later.

The Regional Labor Court initially awarded her NIS 45,000 for wrongful dismissal and inadequate investigation of her complaint. Both parties appealed to the National Labor Court. The National Court rejected the appeals of the council and Salomon but accepted the officer's appeal, remanding the case to the regional court to reassess the compensation amount. The National Court found fault with the council's failure to take sufficient measures to prevent harassment and its inadequate investigation of the complaint, ordering the council to pay NIS 126,000 for the persecution.

Psychiatrist Dr. Marina Kopchik, appointed by the court, determined the officer has a permanent 15% psychological disability and a 15% functional disability due to the sexual harassment. Judge Yiftach fully adopted Kopchik's findings, noting the court's reliance on expert medical opinions. The officer claimed she lost at least 50% of her future earning capacity due to the harassment, while the council argued her career was unstable. Yiftach acknowledged potential future employment difficulties but set her loss of earning capacity at 15%, corresponding to her disability rating, amounting to NIS 1,076 per month based on her last salary. This resulted in NIS 87,000 for past lost earnings and NIS 330,000 for future losses.

Judge Yiftach emphasized the council's obligation to provide a safe working environment and implement preventative measures against sexual harassment, especially given the nature of the work involving close physical proximity. While acknowledging Salomon's greater moral culpability, Yiftach stated the council was not exempt from responsibility due to its failures, leading to the 85%-15% split in payment responsibility between Salomon and the council. The court also awarded NIS 100,000 for pain and suffering and NIS 15,000 for assistance and medical expenses. The final ruling will address potential offsets from National Insurance payments.