Schoolgirls Ordered to Pay NIS 80,000 for Defamatory Instagram Post

The Beit Shemesh Magistrate’s Court on Monday upheld a defamation lawsuit brought by a young woman against two former fellow students at a Haredi seminary, after they posted a false and humiliating Instagram message about her. Judge Elad Lang ruled the publication was serious and degrading, and ordered the two defendants to pay a combined NIS 80,000 in damages.

According to the ruling, in December 2023 notices with QR codes were hung around the school, leading to an anonymous Instagram page. A post there alleged that the plaintiff was having an intimate relationship with an older doctor, had become pregnant by him, and had undergone an abortion. The post also included her photo and identifying personal details. The publication caused a stir at the school, where students and teachers saw it, classes were disrupted, and the plaintiff and her family filed a police complaint.

The court later found that two students from the school were behind the post and had been suspended. One defendant admitted what she did, deleted the material, and apologized in writing and by phone. The other initially denied involvement, but the court found she was fully involved in creating, publishing, and spreading the content. Lang rejected the defense claim that it was only a prank or an attempt to amuse classmates.

The judge said the post accused the plaintiff of serious conduct that could humiliate and disgrace her, especially in a religious Haredi setting where such allegations can have major social consequences. The ruling noted that the plaintiff suffered significant harm, withdrew into her home, avoided social and academic activity, and feared damage to her good name and future marriage prospects. The court did not grant double damages for an intent to harm, finding the defendants acted with recklessness and indifference rather than a targeted desire to injure her. It also rejected the defendants’ third-party claim against the school. One defendant was ordered to pay NIS 50,000 and the other NIS 30,000.