The Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court ruled Friday that journalist Barak Seri must pay NIS 18,000 to Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar for defamation, after Seri falsely claimed in three publications that Sa'ar took a private trip to London at public expense. The court rejected Seri's defenses of truth in publication and good faith, noting that Sa'ar had proven he paid all travel and lodging costs himself. The court also dismissed Seri's claim that the lawsuit was a 'SLAPP' suit, ruling that no legal defense applied.
The Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court on Friday handed down a detailed ruling in the defamation suit filed by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar against journalist Barak Seri, ordering Seri to pay NIS 18,000 and rejecting all of his legal defenses. Judge Roi Shachar ruled that Seri's claim of truth in publication did not apply, as Sa'ar had proven he paid for the London trip out of his own pocket. The judge also rejected Seri's defense of good faith and dismissed his argument that the lawsuit was a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP), writing in section 71 of the ruling that no such defense was established.
As The Zioneer reported earlier this afternoon, the court ordered Seri to pay damages. The full ruling, released shortly after, reveals that Seri's publications on Twitter, Channel 12, and Radio without Interruption were found to be defamatory, and that the court found no legal basis for any of Seri's defenses. The case was filed under expedited summary procedure, with a relatively low initial claim amount to ensure a quick resolution.
The ruling adds to a series of defamation cases involving Israeli public figures. The court's rejection of the 'SLAPP' claim is notable, as such arguments have been raised in other high-profile cases.
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Source and signal
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