Bank Leumi's Lawsuit Against Meta: Court Criticizes Company's Request for Delay

The Tel Aviv District Court expressed reservation regarding Meta's conduct in the context of the lawsuit filed against it last week by Bank Leumi for 26 million shekels. The lawsuit follows the distribution of fraudulent advertisements on the technology giant's platforms that impersonated the bank.

Meta requested the court to reject Leumi's demand to expedite the response and hold an urgent hearing. In its filing, Meta claimed there was no urgency in the matter and that the bank itself had delayed filing the request.

In a decision issued on Thursday, Judge Hedva Weinbaum-Voltzki stated:

"I regret Meta's response, which would have been better left unsubmitted in the form it was."

The judge clarified that a previous order explicitly required a response within seven days of delivery. The court ordered Meta to submit its response to the lawsuit by September 2, and the case will be transferred to the duty judge during the first week after the judicial recess.

The lawsuit exposes a sharp confrontation between Israel's largest bank and the technology giant. According to Leumi, the bank urgently contacted Meta to demand the removal of financial scams that used its name and branding to defraud customers. The bank claims it received mostly laconic responses from Meta, and in one instance, a response was received only after more than a month, providing only a partial solution.

The dispute is now moving to an accelerated legal track after the court effectively rejected Meta's attempt to delay its response until mid-September.

Bank Leumi stated:

"We regret Meta's response, which proves once again that Meta does not care about fraud against the Israeli public and acts to ensure it continues earning money from scams. The scams continue even these days, with cynicism that has no limits, even after the filing of the lawsuit."

No response was provided on behalf of Meta.