Two Lawyers File Nearly 100 Class Actions Over Hearing Aid Accessibility in Israeli Businesses

In the past year and a half, two Israeli lawyers, Eran Plaser and Shlomi Avni, have filed at least 93 class action lawsuits against various businesses for failing to install hearing aid assistance systems as required by law. These lawsuits target a range of stores, including food, electronics, and women's clothing retailers, mostly part of chain networks obligated to provide such accessibility regardless of store size. The plaintiffs, who are hearing-impaired, verify the absence of hearing aid devices in service areas and employ private investigators to check additional branches.

The lawsuits, filed between 2025 and 2026, demand compensation ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of shekels per business. Most cases end with "rewarded withdrawal," where the plaintiff and defendant reach a settlement involving the installation of hearing aid systems, donations to hearing-impaired associations, and attorney fees. Settlements typically include payments of thousands to tens of thousands of shekels to the lawyers and smaller sums to the plaintiffs. For example, a large 8 million shekel claim against the Soduch chain concluded with system installation, a 7,500 shekel donation, and attorney fees of 11,500 shekels.

Critics argue that these lawsuits often proceed without prior warnings to businesses, unlike other accessibility claims such as website accessibility, which require advance notice. Legal experts and former Deputy Minister Avir Kara contend that the hearing aid installation requirement is unique to Israel and is exploited by serial litigants and lawyers as a financial tool, imposing heavy burdens on small businesses. Kara advocates for legislative reforms to exempt very small businesses from such lawsuits and mandate prior warnings before filing claims.

The Ministry of Justice is advancing a bill to address these issues, including limiting the number of class actions a plaintiff can file annually and requiring a 2,000 shekel fee for pre-litigation warnings. However, progress has been slow since the bill's first reading in 2024. The lawyers involved defend their actions as enforcing important accessibility rights for over 700,000 hearing-impaired Israelis, emphasizing the state's failure to enforce these laws effectively and the right of disabled individuals to equal service without discrimination.

The ongoing debate highlights tensions between enforcing disability rights and protecting small businesses from costly litigation, with courts continuing to approve settlements and no current requirement for prior warnings in hearing aid accessibility cases.