The Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court on Friday ordered journalist Barak Seri to pay NIS 18,000 to Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar for defamation, after Seri falsely claimed on three occasions that Sa'ar took a private vacation to London at public expense. The court rejected Seri's defenses of truth in publication and good faith, and dismissed his claim that the lawsuit was a 'SLAPP' suit, noting the case was filed under a fast-track procedure.
The Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court on Friday ordered journalist Barak Seri to pay NIS 18,000 to Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar for defamation, in a ruling that rejected Seri's defenses and dismissed his claim that the lawsuit was a 'SLAPP' suit. According to the court, presided over by Judge Roi Shahar, Seri had published on three platforms — X, Channel 12, and Radio without a break — that Sa'ar traveled to London with his wife at public expense, a claim proven false after Sa'ar demonstrated he paid all travel costs. The court found no basis for the 'truth in publication' or 'good faith' defenses, and noted the case was filed under a fast-track procedure with a modest damages claim to enable swift resolution. The Zioneer reported at 16:35 that the court had delivered its ruling; additional details from the verdict include the exact damages amount and the judge's reasoning.
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Source and signal
- Open-source intake