Court Orders Hadas Shteif and Galei Tzahal to Pay Efi Nave in Privacy Lawsuit

The Central District Court in Lod delivered its ruling today on a lawsuit filed by Adv. Efi Nave, former head of the Israel Bar Association, against journalist Hadas Shteif, several media figures, and the Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) station. Nave sued for severe privacy violations following the hacking of his mobile phones, which contained personal information that later led to the "appointments for sex" police investigation. Nave had sought more than seven million shekels in damages.

The court ruled that Shteif did not hack the phones herself, but found her to be the primary responsible party. She initiated the action, mediated between Nave's ex-wife (with whom the phones were left) and the hacker, and authorized extracting data from the password-protected devices. Regarding other media personalities—Razi Barkai, Nurit Kanti, Ilail Shahar, and Shimon Alkabetz—the court ruled they were protected by acting in good faith as journalists, noting the information was true and of public interest. Consequently, the lawsuit against them was dismissed.

Liability and Damages

Unlike her colleagues, Shteif was denied protections under the Privacy Protection Law because her actions were illegal and unethical. The court stressed that a journalist cannot participate in unlawful data acquisition and still claim legal immunities. The court ordered Shteif to pay 450,000 shekels for privacy violations, holding Galei Tzahal vicariously liable since Shteif acted within her role as the station's crime reporter. Additionally, Shteif was ordered to pay 25,000 shekels exclusively for a Facebook post calling Nave a "garbage worm," alongside 90,000 shekels in legal fees.

"The court clearly and unequivocally determined that the hacking of my phones was a severe violation of my privacy, and that Shteif was the one who initiated and promoted the breach," Nave stated following the verdict.