Israeli Court Approves Class Action Against Cheese Chain Over Packaging Weight
Translated & summarized from Bizportal by baba
A Tel Aviv court approved a 2.5 million shekel class-action lawsuit against the Beit HaGvinot delicatessen chain for allegedly charging customers for packaging weight and failing to display prices for items sold by weight. The chain denied the claims, but the judge found insufficient evidence to support its defense. The ruling orders the chain to pay legal fees and publish notice of the class action, which includes customers from the past seven years.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- A Tel Aviv court approved a 2.5 million shekel class-action lawsuit against Beit HaGvinot.
- The lawsuit alleges the chain charged customers for packaging weight and failed to display prices.
- Customers David Eliyahu and Yaron Shamir initiated the case.
- The chain's defense, including claims of misleading photos and new software, was rejected by the judge.
- Beit HaGvinot must pay 14,000 shekels in legal fees and cover publication costs.
- The class action covers customers who bought products by weight in the last seven years.
A Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court has approved a class-action lawsuit against the "Beit HaGvinot" (House of Cheeses) delicatessen chain. The lawsuit alleges the chain charged customers for the weight of packaging on products sold by weight and failed to display prices for these items. The plaintiffs estimate the total damages to customers at 2.5 million shekels.
The case was initiated by customers David Eliyahu and Yaron Shamir, who claimed they were overcharged for packaging materials like plastic containers. Eliyahu calculated that 6.76 shekels of his bill were for plastic alone, while Shamir reported paying 12.68 shekels for empty containers of olives and cheese. These amounts represented a significant percentage of their total purchases, according to Shamir.
Beit HaGvinot, which operates five branches across Israel, denied the allegations. The chain's business development manager, Eyal Arad, argued that cashiers are instructed to zero out the scale before weighing products and that customers intentionally photographed displays from misleading angles. He also claimed the plaintiffs were "serial litigants."
However, Judge Eran Taussig found the chain's defense unconvincing. He noted the lack of written procedures for weighing and stated the company failed to provide any evidence that packaging weight was ever deducted. The judge also dismissed the chain's claims about misleading photos and the existence of a new software system intended to automatically deduct packaging weight, as evidence of its implementation was lacking and dated after the lawsuit was filed.
The court also addressed the second claim regarding price display, ruling that photos of price lists provided by the chain were irrelevant as they were taken after the lawsuit was filed. The judge emphasized that price displays must be clear, visible, and legible, and that a price list on a refrigerator door might not meet these requirements.
The chain was ordered to pay 14,000 shekels in legal fees to the plaintiffs' lawyers and cover the cost of publishing the notice of the approved class action. The group includes customers who purchased products by weight from the chain in the seven years prior to the request. Customers have 45 days from the publication date to opt out of the class.