The Tel Aviv District Court today (Sunday) rejected the appeal of journalist Yigal Sarna, who was ordered to compensate the Netanyahu couple 100,000 shekels, not including attorneys' fees and costs, after they filed a defamation lawsuit against him.
Serena raised the amount through crowdfunding and filed an appeal, which, as mentioned, was rejected. Serena was also ordered to pay legal costs of 20,000 shekels.
Judge Avigail Cohen rejected his arguments both on the question of whether it was defamation, and on the amount of compensation awarded to him in the Magistrate's Court.
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
About six months ago, Judge Azaria Alkalai of the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court ruled that the veteran journalist would compensate Prime Minister Netanyahu with 60,000 NIS and his wife Sara with 40,000 NIS. The court also ordered Serena to pay a fee of 15,000 NIS, in addition to paying the couple's lawyers' fees, totaling 15,000 NIS.
After losing the lawsuit, Sarna was placed on paid leave from Yedioth Ahronoth - and in August, Sarna published his last column in the newspaper, announcing that it was a farewell column.
According to the verdict, "the defendant's publications were malicious and ugly, intended to shame and humiliate the plaintiffs.".
The Netanyahu couple filed the lawsuit after Serena wrote on his Facebook page that Sara Netanyahu ordered her husband to get out of their shared car while they were driving on Highway 1.
