Executive to Pay NIS 50,000 for Defamation in Parking Dispute
Translated & summarized from Bizportal by baba
A Tel Aviv court ordered Adi Lerer, CFO of A.P.C Investments, to pay NIS 50,000 to Chaim Tzuf, chairman of Airport City, for defamation. The ruling, issued on November 2023, stemmed from two emails Lerer sent accusing Tzuf of tax evasion during a dispute over free parking for evacuees. The judge found the tax evasion claims to be defamatory and unsubstantiated. Lerer was also ordered to pay NIS 15,000 in legal costs.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Adi Lerer, CFO of A.P.C Investments, must pay NIS 50,000 to Chaim Tzuf of Airport City for defamation.
- The defamation occurred in two emails sent in November 2023 regarding a parking dispute for evacuees.
- Lerer accused Tzuf and Kobi Mimran of tax evasion and not living in Israel.
- The court found the accusations of tax evasion to be defamatory and unsubstantiated.
- The ruling was made by Judge Edna Yossef-Kozin of the Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court.
- Lerer was also ordered to pay NIS 15,000 in legal expenses.
A Tel Aviv court has ordered Adi Lerer, CFO of A.P.C Investments, controlled by Safi Zviyali, to pay NIS 50,000 to Chaim Tzuf, a partner of Kobi Mimran and chairman of Airport City. The ruling by Judge Edna Yossef-Kozin of the Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court stems from two emails Lerer sent in November 2023, which were found to contain defamation against Tzuf.
The dispute occurred during a heated disagreement between the companies over the use of a parking lot at Dizengoff Center in Tel Aviv by evacuees from southern Israel following the October 7th attacks. Airport City and A.P.C Investments are equal partners in the parking lot, and their conflicts were settled by arbitration in early 2024 by retired Judge Yoram Danziger.
Following the war's outbreak, the Tel Aviv municipality asked both companies to allow evacuees to use the parking lot for free. Tzuf supported this, while Zviyali opposed it. In response, Lerer sent an email to 14 recipients, including lawyers and service providers, accusing Tzuf and Mimran of trying to profit from the situation, denigrating Zviyali, and alleging they evade taxes in Israel while Zviyali lives and pays taxes in Israel and his sons serve in the IDF.
In a second email, sent to ten recipients including municipal officials, Lerer responded to a request for discounted parking subscriptions for evacuees from Sderot. She stated that the proposed prices could not be approved and suggested Tzuf and Mimran, who she claimed do not live in Israel and have a history of tax evasion, perhaps through Mimran's relocation to Gibraltar and Tzuf's careful tracking of days in Israel, should direct their generosity elsewhere.
Judge Yossef-Kozin ruled that accusing someone of tax evasion constitutes defamation, especially when made by an accountant perceived as knowledgeable. She stated that falsely attributing a refusal to grant free parking to wealthy individuals harms their image and could damage Tzuf's business relationships with municipalities. Lerer failed to prove her statements were true, and they were not considered good-faith opinions. The court noted that the two publications, given their content and the factual assertions made, caused Tzuf reputational damage, implying he is not law-abiding and undermining his integrity and civic commitment. Lerer was also ordered to pay NIS 15,000 in legal expenses.