100 thousand shekels in burekas and dozens of lawsuits: The focused activity of attorney Shoham Even
For years, Shoham Even filed dozens of lawsuits against businesses as a private individual, until he received a law license and shifted gears. At the center of his work are class action lawsuits regarding food packaging weights and Spam Law violations. A law amendment that passed in the first reading will prohibit claiming damages in these lawsuits and will require prior contact with the business. Opponents claim exploitation of the legal system, but his attorney deflects the criticism: "This is civil enforcement that has yielded millions for the public."
"Do you like burekas? Come and learn how you are being cheated," calls out attorney Shoham Even in a YouTube video addressed to customers of bakeries in the Haifa area. "Four small burekas in a bag cost 12 shekels, and 17 shekels in a carton - but the consumer is told nothing." This public appeal reflects the current activity of attorney Even in the consumer arena.
For years, he filed dozens of lawsuits against businesses in Israel as a private individual. A significant portion of these proceedings concerned claims of violating the Spam Law (which prohibits businesses from sending marketing content without consent) and other consumer grounds. According to data checked by Globes with the assistance of Tola'at HaMishpat, in the last eight years, Even has managed at least 78 legal proceedings, of which 32 were requests for class action lawsuits filed between 2021 and 2024. After receiving his law license, Even shifted to filing lawsuits as a professional attorney.
Million-shekel lawsuits
In 2026 alone, Even is representing plaintiffs in six class action proceedings against twenty food businesses, with each lawsuit seeking 2.5 million shekels. The central claim is identical: businesses sold products by gross weight without deducting the packaging, contrary to the Consumer Protection Law. In a lawsuit filed last February against nine bakeries in Haifa, it was claimed that businesses charged consumers for the weight of the plastic or cardboard on which the products were placed.
Some proceedings are already reaching settlements. Two bakery branches recently reached a "compensated withdrawal" agreement: each business will compensate the public by distributing pastries worth 100 thousand shekels and commits to deducting packaging weight in the future. Attorney Even's fee in these cases was approximately 22 thousand shekels.
Public outcry
One of Even's cases sparked public outcry in 2024 when he and his wife filed a 2.5 million shekel class action against a furniture business, claiming a chair was sold at a promotional price for longer than the 35-day limit. The business owner, Ron Yakobi, who had returned from IDF reserve service in Gaza, found himself facing the lawsuit. The proceeding ended in a withdrawal, with the company committing to donate furniture worth 25 thousand shekels to IDF bases.
Legislative changes
Reform of class action lawsuits, which passed its first reading in 2024, aims to curb the flood of minor lawsuits. A key change is the mandatory duty of prior contact with the business. If the violation is corrected, the applicant will be entitled to a 2,000 shekel reward, and the court may order the business to correct the defect instead of awarding financial compensation to the group. Former Knesset member Abir Kara, who was himself sued by Even, sharply criticizes the phenomenon: "This is not consumer protection; it is a system that encourages serial lawsuits for economic gain."
Response from the defense
Attorney Ron Aviv, representing Shoham Even, states that his client engages in civil enforcement for the benefit of the public. "Even has filed 35 class actions against some of the largest entities in the economy, including Bezeq, Cellcom, Hot, Google, and Steimatzky, yielding over 15 million shekels in public compensation. In the rare cases involving smaller businesses, it was a matter of fraudulent acts where consumers were charged for up to 150% of the product's weight," Aviv explained, adding that all complaints to the Ethics Committee are baseless.
