Court Increases Defamation Payout to Journalist Raviv Drucker

The Tel Aviv District Court on Thursday rejected appeals by media personalities Yaakov Bardugo, Noam Fathi, and Yotam Zimri in a defamation lawsuit filed by journalist Raviv Drucker. The court also partially accepted Drucker's appeal, ordering an additional 60,000 shekels in damages.

The ruling was delivered by judges Einat Ravid, Naftali Shilo, and Yechiel Eliyahu, who reviewed three appeals against a February 2025 lower court decision. The original ruling had ordered Bardugo and Galai Tzahal (Army Radio) to pay Drucker a total of 100,000 shekels, with Bardugo personally liable for half and jointly liable for the other half. Fathi, Zimri, and the companies operating Galai Yisrael and Radio Darom were ordered to pay 50,000 shekels jointly and severally.

The district court upheld the lower court's findings of liability but increased the compensation amounts. The case originated from a June 2021 article by Drucker in "Haaretz" detailing recordings that could have embarrassed then-Defense Minister Benny Gantz. Bardugo, in two Galai Tzahal programs, accused Drucker of using these materials to pressure Gantz, a claim the lower court found to be defamation as it was not present in Drucker's original article.

The district court dismissed Bardugo's argument that his statements were mere opinion within public discourse, ruling that attributing such actions to Drucker constituted a factual claim not protected by free speech. Appeals by Fathi, Zimri, and the radio stations regarding statements made on their program were also denied.

Drucker's successful partial appeal focused on the distinction between radio broadcasts and subsequent online publication. The court agreed that online dissemination exposes the material to a wider audience, justifying increased damages. Consequently, Bardugo and Galai Tzahal were ordered to pay an additional 30,000 shekels, as were Fathi, Zimri, and the radio stations.

The total damages awarded to Drucker now stand at 210,000 shekels, before legal expenses. Bardugo, Fathi, Zimri, and the radio stations were also ordered to pay Drucker 15,000 shekels each for the rejection of their appeals. Drucker was awarded an additional 15,000 shekels in costs due to the partial acceptance of his appeal.