Court orders 140,000 shekel payout for defamation of Shikma Bressler
The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court has ruled in favor of Prof. Shikma Bressler in a defamation lawsuit against Pany Michaeli. The defendant must pay damages, delete the defamatory posts, and publish a retraction.
The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court has ruled in favor of Prof. Shikma Bressler in a defamation lawsuit filed against Pany Michaeli following a series of social media posts published after October 7. Judge Dorit Feinstein determined that the statements were "at the high end of defamation" and rejected the defense's arguments, including claims of "good faith opinion" and "truth in publication."
Bressler sought damages regarding 26 posts in which Michaeli accused her of treason and aiding Hamas. The posts included calls for Bressler to be interrogated "in Shin Bet basements," tortured, and executed. Michaeli also used slurs such as "Nazi terrorist" and deliberately altered the spelling of Bressler's name to include the letters SS.
Court Ruling
Judge Feinstein emphasized that the posts were not fleeting or accidental, but rather consistent and persistent. The court rejected the "truth in publication" defense, noting that Michaeli failed to provide any evidence for her claims, relying instead on "intuition" and a "sixth sense."
The defendant's claim that the lawsuit was a SLAPP suit intended to intimidate her was also rejected. The court determined that the nature and volume of the publications contradicted the claim that Michaeli was chosen as a random "scapegoat."
Compensation and Requirements
Finding that Michaeli acted with clear intent to harm, the court awarded maximum statutory damages. While the 26 posts were treated as a single act of publication for compensation purposes, the court ordered a significant financial penalty.
Michaeli is ordered to pay:
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100,000 shekels in damages (plus linkage and interest).
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35,000 shekels in legal fees.
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5,500 shekels in court expenses.
The total judgment stands at 140,500 shekels. Furthermore, the court ordered Michaeli to remove all defamatory content from her Facebook and Twitter accounts and to publish a notice stating that her previous posts regarding Shikma Bressler were defamatory and determined by the court to be untrue.
