Court Awards Haredi Man Full Compensation After Accident

A 23-year-old Haredi yeshiva student, who sustained a 19% permanent disability in a motorcycle accident, will receive 410,000 shekels in compensation. The settlement was reached after his insurance company argued that his future lost earnings should not be calculated based on the average wage, as he is expected to continue his religious studies in a kollel after marriage.

The lawsuit was filed at the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court following the injuries, which included a fracture in his right knee. A court-appointed orthopedic expert determined the permanent disability, which slightly affects his overall physical function.

The central dispute revolved around calculating future lost earnings. The insurance company contended that due to his commitment to Torah study, he would not enter the general workforce and thus suffer no such losses, or alternatively, that compensation should be based on minimum wage. The plaintiff's attorney, Lilach Yiftah, countered that this constitutes discrimination, arguing that a young man's future earning potential is personal and should not be predetermined at a young age. She asserted that he should have the choice to enter any profession, from scribe to engineer.

The court sided with the plaintiff, acknowledging that decisions made by a young yeshiva student are not yet stable and may change. Consequently, future lost earnings were calculated based on the average monthly wage of 9,504 shekels gross. The final settlement includes 350,000 shekels net, plus attorney fees and expenses, totaling 410,000 shekels.

Attorney Yiftah noted that this is not the first instance of insurance companies attempting to reduce compensation for young Haredi men studying Torah, using the argument that their "Torah is their faith." She emphasized that many in the Haredi community do work, and young students deserve the same compensation as any other victim their age.