Labor Court Rejects Yaakov Bardugo’s Lawsuit Against Galatz and Ministry of Defense

The Tel Aviv Regional Labor Court has decisively dismissed a compensation lawsuit filed by commentator and presenter Yaakov Bardugo against the Israeli military radio station Galatz and the Ministry of Defense. Bardugo, who previously broadcast on the station, claimed he was unlawfully dismissed for political reasons and sought approximately 550,000 shekels in damages. The court not only rejected his claim but also ordered him to pay 50,000 shekels in legal costs.

Judge Sharon Shavit Kaftori sharply criticized Bardugo’s conduct, stating that he acted in "extreme bad faith" and found no employer-employee relationship existed between Bardugo and Galatz. The ruling emphasized that Bardugo, an individual with extensive legal and business experience, consciously chose not to be an employee due to his other professional commitments and the restrictions on civilian employees at the IDF.

The court further ruled that Bardugo failed to prove that Galatz sought to dismiss him by changing his broadcast schedule and canceling his program "Evening Journal." Instead, evidence showed Bardugo himself decided to end his contractual relationship in response to programming changes. The judgment also supported the defense’s argument that Bardugo had demanded a flexible, non-binding employment model and that his lawsuit was filed with concealed details and distorted facts.

Bardugo had resigned from Galatz in February 2022, shortly after being removed from his program "Bardugo and Wilensky." Eight months later, he filed the lawsuit claiming employee status and demanding reinstatement or compensation for lost earnings, salary differences, notice pay, and discrimination. The court’s ruling closes the case with a clear defeat for Bardugo and a financial penalty against him.