Israel Court Orders Defamation Defendants to Pay Raviv Drucker Additional NIS 60,000
Translated & summarized from Globes by baba
An Israeli court has ordered Yaakov Bardugo, Noam Fathi, Yotam Zimri, and two radio stations to pay journalist Raviv Drucker an additional NIS 60,000 in defamation damages, bringing the total to NIS 285,000. The ruling stems from broadcasts accusing Drucker of extortion related to Beni Gantz. The court rejected appeals from the defendants and partially accepted Drucker's cross-appeal for higher compensation. Bardugo and the radio stations were found liable for attributing extortion to Drucker, while Fathi and Zimri were also found to have defamed him.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Court orders Bardugo, Fathi, Zimri, and radio stations to pay Raviv Drucker an additional NIS 60,000.
- Total defamation damages awarded to Drucker now amount to NIS 285,000.
- The ruling addresses Bardugo's broadcasts accusing Drucker of extortion related to Beni Gantz.
- Defendants' appeals were rejected, while Drucker's cross-appeal was partially accepted.
- Bardugo and Galey Tzahal were found liable for attributing extortion to Drucker.
- Fathi and Zimri were also found to have defamed Drucker with similar accusations.
An Israeli court has increased the defamation damages awarded to journalist Raviv Drucker, ordering Yaakov Bardugo, Noam Fathi, Yotam Zimri, and the radio stations Radio Darom, Radio Galey Yisrael, and Galey Tzahal to pay an additional NIS 60,000. This ruling stems from a defamation lawsuit filed by Drucker, who was initially awarded NIS 180,000, including legal expenses, after Bardugo and Galey Tzahal were found to have defamed him in radio broadcasts.
The case originated from an article by Drucker stating he possessed embarrassing recordings related to Beni Gantz, but the source refused to authorize their publication. Drucker alleged that Bardugo and Galey Tzahal portrayed him as having extorted and threatened Gantz for political gain. The court determined that Bardugo's publications on two Galey Tzahal programs constituted defamation, specifically accusing Drucker of "extortion by threat" and characterizing his article as a "shot to the roof," a "turning sword," and "holding a knife to the throat" intended to influence Gantz's political actions.
Bardugo's defense of "truth in publication" was rejected, as the court found he attributed statements to Drucker not present in the original article, including claims that the materials would "eliminate" Gantz's political career and that Drucker would publish them at "the right moment" if Gantz helped Netanyahu oust the Bennett-Lapid government. The court found these publications were made with "intent to harm," doubling the statutory compensation to NIS 142,000. Galey Tzahal was held responsible as the media outlet.
The District Court upheld the lower court's findings, dismissing Bardugo's appeal and ordering him to pay NIS 15,000 in legal costs. Similarly, Fathi and Zimri's claims of defamation were upheld, as attributing extortion to a journalist could damage their reputation and profession. Their appeal was also rejected, with NIS 15,000 in costs awarded to Drucker.
Drucker had filed a cross-appeal seeking higher compensation, arguing that additional online publications should not be considered part of the same event. The court partially accepted this, recognizing one additional publication for each group of defendants. This led to an increase of NIS 30,000 from Bardugo and Galey Tzahal combined, and another NIS 30,000 from Fathi and the radio stations. In total, the final award, including all appeals and expenses, amounts to NIS 285,000.
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