The Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court ruled on Thursday in favor of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife, Sara Netanyahu, in a defamation lawsuit against a former cleaner at the prime minister’s residence who accused her of workplace abuse.
The court ordered former employee Sylvie Gancia to pay 100,000 shekels ($34,000) in damages to Netanyahu after the cleaner’s lawyer, Ofir Shimshon, failed to submit briefs on her behalf and ignored the court’s decisions, citing his IDF reserve duty.
In an unusual move, Judge Ronen Ilan decided to impose personal legal expenses of 20,000 shekels on the lawyer for negligence in representing Gancia. The judge noted that the court warned the lawyer as early as January 2026 of this outcome.
Ilan wrote that Shimshon’s conduct “may tarnish all those many lawyers who were called up for reserve service and yet did not disrespect or disrupt the legal process.” The judge concluded that Shimshon’s behavior was “exceptional in its severity.”
According to the lawsuit, Netanyahu’s alleged mistreatment of Gancia included requiring her to change clothes multiple times during the workday, imposing fines and punishments and yelling at her.