Israeli Court Increases Defamation Payouts Against Radio Personalities
תומצת מתוך Arutz Sheva על ידי baba
An Israeli District Court upheld a defamation ruling against radio hosts Yaakov Bardugo, Noam Fathi, and Yotam Zimri, and their radio stations, in a lawsuit by journalist Ravev Drucker. The court increased Drucker's compensation by NIS 60,000 to a total of NIS 210,000. The original ruling in February 2025 awarded Drucker NIS 150,000, which has now been supplemented by the District Court's decision.
הידיעה ב-6 שורות · תקציר של baba
- Israeli court increased defamation payouts against Bardugo, Fathi, Zimri, and radio stations to NIS 210,000.
- The District Court rejected appeals by the defendants and partially accepted journalist Ravev Drucker's appeal.
- The case stems from radio commentary on Drucker's article about recordings potentially embarrassing Benny Gantz.
- Bardugo was found to have attributed statements not present in Drucker's original article.
- Fathi and Zimri were found to have defamed Drucker on the "Fathi and Zimri Ba'am" program.
- The original ruling in February 2025 awarded NIS 150,000 in compensation.
An Israeli District Court has rejected appeals by Yaakov Bardugo, Noam Fathi, Yotam Zimri, and radio stations in a defamation lawsuit filed by journalist Ravev Drucker. The court upheld the lower court's ruling that statements made about Drucker on radio broadcasts went beyond protected criticism and constituted defamation.
In addition to rejecting the appeals, the court partially accepted Drucker's appeal, increasing his compensation by NIS 60,000, bringing the total to NIS 210,000, plus court costs. The ruling was delivered by a three-judge panel headed by Judge Einat Ravid.
The legal dispute originated from an article Drucker published in June 2021, where he discussed receiving recordings that could have embarrassed Benny Gantz before the April 2019 elections, but the source refused to authorize their publication. Bardugo, in his Galatz radio program, interpreted Drucker's article as a potential threat to Gantz, then Defense Minister. Bardugo argued this was political commentary, but the court found he attributed statements to Drucker not present in the original article and that the publications were intended to harm Drucker.
Further claims involved the "Fathi and Zimri Ba'am" program on Galey Israel and Radio Darom in August 2021. During an interview, then-MK Yoav Kisch referred to Drucker's article as a threat to Gantz. Fathi and Zimri then criticized Drucker, with Fathi using terms like "mafia." The court rejected their defense that the discussion was spontaneous political criticism, upholding the lower court's finding of defamation, though it did not find that Fathi and Zimri acted with intent to harm, distinguishing their case from Bardugo's.
In February 2025, the Magistrate's Court initially awarded Drucker NIS 150,000. Bardugo was ordered to pay NIS 100,000, partly jointly with Galatz. Fathi, Zimri, Galey Israel, and Radio Darom were ordered to pay NIS 50,000 jointly and severally. The District Court's decision added NIS 30,000 to the compensation for Bardugo and Galatz, and another NIS 30,000 for Fathi, Zimri, Galey Israel, and Radio Darom.
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