About six months after the publication of journalist Amit Segal's investigation of Likud MK Oren Hazan, Segal announced at noon (Sunday) that his lawyers had filed a defense on his behalf in the defamation lawsuit filed against him by Hazan, in which he claims that the MK "tried to hide from the public essential facts about his questionable past.".
On his Facebook page, Segal wrote: "Every lawsuit has its origin. This morning, Attorneys Nikadimon and Biran submitted on my behalf the defense in MK Oren Hazan's lawsuit for a total of one million shekels. We will prove that the investigation is entirely true, and not even the whole truth.".
The lawsuit was filed following an investigative report broadcast by Segal on Channel 2, which claimed that Hazan was involved in casino business in Bulgaria, and other serious allegations about the nature of his actions and behavior.
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The lawyers for Segal and Hadashot 2 cited 11 cases in negative contexts in which MK Hazan is involved in the defense, including his recent suspension from presiding over and participating in Knesset meetings and submitting a false affidavit to the State Comptroller. "An examination of Hazan's actions and his involvement as a central factor in a series of events with negative contexts proves that the plaintiff does not enjoy a good name at all," the defense stated.
""Examining Hazan's behavior over time raises the hypothesis that he even benefits to some extent from the negative image that his actions and behavior have created for him in the public, and that he cultivates and reinforces this image as a tool for political advancement.".
It should be noted that the lawsuit was filed personally against Segal, contrary to the practice whereby the lawsuit is filed simultaneously against the journalist and the relevant media outlet.
At a press conference he convened after filing the lawsuit, Hazan said: "I have gone through a media tsunami, verbal terrorism, in the last eight months I have suffered personal persecution, persecution and humiliation.".
