Court Rules Salon Owner Committed Rape Despite Closed Criminal Probe
A civil court ruled that business owner Yitzhak Revivo raped an employee, ordering him to pay 450,000 shekels, while a criminal probe was previously closed.
The criminal case against Yitzhak Revivo, owner of the company operating the hair extension and smoothing salon chain, was closed due to a lack of criminal guilt. However, in a subsequent civil proceeding, the court reached a different conclusion, ruling that Revivo committed two counts of rape and additional sexual acts against an employee while exploiting a position of authority. This was cleared for publication on Wednesday. Revivo was ordered to pay the employee 450,000 shekels in compensation, along with legal fees and expenses. His appeal to the Central District Court was dismissed, and the employee is now asking the prosecution to re-examine the decision not to indict him.
The verdict, handed down by the Ramla Magistrate's Court about a year ago, was cleared for publication. The plaintiff, represented by attorney Ariel Atari, worked at the company between 2013 and 2017, initially as a hairstylist and later as a branch manager. During that period, the company operated five branches in Tel Aviv, Netanya, Beersheba, Rishon LeZion, and Haifa. The lawsuit detailed seven incidents in which the employee claimed Revivo sexually assaulted her. Judge Zivon Alimi accepted the lawsuit regarding four of the incidents: a kiss on the mouth, sexual touching of the chest accompanied by sexual remarks, and two cases of rape. Conversely, the court ruled that the plaintiff did not meet the burden of proof regarding three additional incidents she described.
Details of the Civil Ruling
According to the verdict, the first incident took place in a park in Gan Yavne. The plaintiff claimed she arrived at the location after Revivo asked her to bring him a cannabis cigarette, and that he raped her against her will. Revivo claimed the couple kissed and fondled consensually and denied any rape occurred. During police questioning, he stated he did not remember at all whether sexual relations took place. In the second incident, according to the verdict, the plaintiff claimed that following a work meeting and dinner at a restaurant in Rishon LeZion, Revivo ordered her to enter the disabled restroom, followed her inside, and raped her. Revivo denied the allegations. The judge accepted the plaintiff's version in both cases, ruling that Revivo exploited the authority relationship that existed between him and the employee.
The verdict noted that he was "the sole and all-powerful manager in the company," and that the subordinate relationship and the sexual connection established between the two were sufficient to substantiate the exploitation of authority under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment Law. Ultimately, the lawsuit was accepted regarding four incidents, including two rapes. A psychiatric opinion submitted by the plaintiff determined she suffered a permanent psychiatric disability rating of 10 percent. Revivo did not submit a counter-opinion. The court awarded the plaintiff 100,000 shekels for pain and suffering and 350,000 shekels for future loss of earning capacity. In total, she was awarded 450,000 shekels in compensation, bringing the total obligation at the Magistrate's Court to over half a million shekels including expenses and fees.
Appeal and Prosecution Review
Both parties appealed to the Central District Court. A panel of judges consisting of Irit Cohen, Meirav Ben Ari, and Shay Mizrahi dismissed both appeals, except for the plaintiff's appeal regarding attorney fees. The District Court ruled there was no room to interfere with the factual findings, that they support the legal conclusion, and that no error of law was made. The attorney fees were increased to 106,200 shekels, and Revivo was also ordered to pay appeal expenses of 10,000 shekels.
Concurrently with the civil proceedings, the plaintiff filed a police complaint. After Revivo was interrogated and a confrontation was held between the two, the case was closed in August 2021 due to a lack of criminal guilt. Judge Alimi emphasized that the police decision is not binding on the court and that the standard of proof in criminal proceedings differs from that required in civil suits, where decisions are made on the balance of probabilities. Following the judgment, attorney Ariel Atari submitted an appeal to the State Attorney's Office requesting a re-examination of the decision not to prosecute Revivo, citing new evidence and contradictions in Revivo's versions.
"Both the Ramla Magistrate's Court and the Central District Court ruled that Revivo raped our client and committed severe sex crimes against her, ordering him to pay her more than half a million shekels," stated attorneys Ariel Atari and Simon Dokhin.
Attorney Eli Unger, representing Revivo, stated: "This is a civil case, and the complaint filed with the Israel Police was closed by the Central District Prosecutor's Office due to 'lack of criminal guilt.' The use of the word 'rape' in the civil complaint is regrettable. The plaintiff worked at Mr. Revivo's company for about five years, and following poor performance, her authorities were curtailed, leading to her departure and subsequent financial extortion attempts."
