An Israeli court on Sunday dismissed a defamation suit filed by Sara Netanyahu, wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, against Sylvie Gansia, a former employee at the Prime Minister's Residence, and ordered Mrs. Netanyahu to pay ₪10,000 in legal costs.
The ruling went further than a simple rejection of the claim. According to journalist Aviad Glickman, the court found that Mrs. Netanyahu had treated Gansia improperly and that the allegations Gansia made in the publications at the heart of the case were true.
Glickman later published an excerpt from the decision addressing Mrs. Netanyahu's conduct directly: "The plaintiff (Sara Netanyahu), I find, indeed treated the defendant in an improper, dismissive and humiliating manner. The defendant's claims in the publications turned out to be true."
The language shows the court examined Gansia's allegations on their merits and rejected Mrs. Netanyahu's position outright.
Pro bono representation
According to Glickman, attorney Shaul Eda represented Gansia entirely pro bono throughout the proceedings.
With the suit dismissed, Mrs. Netanyahu must now pay Gansia ₪10,000 in legal costs.
