Court grants immunity to Kiryat Motzkin mayor and city security officer in libel suit filed by council member
The Haifa Magistrate's Court granted immunity to Kiryat Motzkin Mayor Tziki Avishar and city security officer Oshri Atias in a defamation lawsuit filed by council member Moshe Peretz. The judge ruled that no personal intent to harm Peretz was proven, and ordered Peretz to pay 5,000 shekels in costs. The lawsuit against the municipality will continue.
The Haifa Magistrate's Court granted immunity to Kiryat Motzkin Mayor Tziki Avishar and city security officer Oshri Atias in a defamation and privacy invasion lawsuit for 415,000 shekels filed against them by council member Moshe Peretz. Judge Liran Chaim ruled that Peretz did not prove the two acted with intent to cause him personal harm. The background to the lawsuit is an incident in which Peretz was accused of damaging the fire suppression system in the municipal building. Peretz claimed that following the incident, harmful publications were spread against him. The judge was favorably impressed by the sincerity of Avishar's testimony and determined that Atias's actions were within the scope of a professional inquiry. The lawsuit against the municipality will continue, and the court ordered it to file a defense by November 20.