Former Israeli Judo Coach Oren Samdaja Sues Judo Federation and Chairman Ponti for Over 2.5 Million Shekels

Oren Samdaja, former coach of Israel's national judo team and Olympic medalist, filed a lawsuit on Thursday at the Tel Aviv Regional Labor Court against the Israel Judo Federation and its chairman, Moshe Ponti. The claim exceeds 2.5 million shekels and accuses the federation and Ponti of abusive, harassing, and insensitive conduct towards Samdaja. The lawsuit highlights that this mistreatment intensified during Samdaja's mourning period following the death of his son, Omer Samdaja, in the "Sword of Iron" military operation.

According to the lawsuit, the defendants deliberately restricted Samdaja's professional activities and damaged his status, aiming to force him out of his position for ulterior motives. The work environment allegedly became unbearable, leading Samdaja to resign under duress, effectively a constructive dismissal. The complaint also references a defamatory article published on the eve of Israel's Memorial Day, which Samdaja claims was orchestrated by the federation or its representatives.

Additionally, the lawsuit raises financial grievances, including underpayments to his pension fund, failure to properly finalize accounts, and withholding of full employment benefits upon termination. The total claim demands compensation for lost future wages, damages for harassment, completion of severance pay, and payment of social rights that Samdaja asserts were denied.

Samdaja's attorneys, Yair David and Efrat Greenberg-Yosef, expressed confidence that the labor court will condemn the defendants' wrongful conduct and deliver justice to their client, alleviating some of the distress and harm caused by the federation's actions.