Court Dismisses Man's Claim Against Ex-Wife for Half of 840,000 Shekel Debt
Translated & summarized from Bizportal by baba
A family court in Safed dismissed a man's lawsuit against his ex-wife for half of 840,000 shekels in alleged marital debts. The judge ruled the claim violated a 2023 compromise agreement that settled all property disputes. The man was ordered to pay 10,000 shekels in costs. The couple had eight children and a complex property dispute involving a compound near a military base.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- A Safed family court dismissed a man's claim against his ex-wife for 840,000 shekels in debts.
- The judge cited a 2023 compromise agreement that explicitly barred future mutual claims.
- The man was ordered to pay 10,000 shekels in legal costs to the state.
- The couple had eight children and a long-standing property dispute over a compound.
- The court deemed the lawsuit an attempt to pressure the woman and an abuse of legal process.
A family court in Safed has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a man demanding his ex-wife pay half of 839,981 shekel in debts he claimed were incurred during their marriage. Judge Avivit Nachmias ruled that the claim contradicted a 2023 compromise agreement approved by the District Court, calling it "another link in an endless chain of legal proceedings aimed at one thing, the woman relinquishing her property rights." The man was ordered to pay 10,000 shekels in legal costs, which will go to the state treasury as the woman is represented by the Legal Aid Bureau.
The couple, married in 1993, had eight children and lived in a compound of three buildings where the man operated a natural medicine clinic. The land belongs to Himanuta, a subsidiary of the Jewish National Fund (JNF). Following years of legal battles, a compromise was reached in 2014 and approved by the District Court in Nazareth, granting the family use of the compound until November 3, 2024, with a valuation mechanism for investments.
The marital dispute escalated in 2018, leading to two protection orders. In November 2019, the woman left the compound with the children to finalize their divorce, and the man continued to live there alone. Subsequent court rulings in 2021 and 2023 affirmed shared use of the compound, eventually allocating one building to the woman and two to the man.
A comprehensive agreement in September 2023 explicitly stated there would be no future mutual claims regarding usage fees, equalization payments, or investment reimbursements. The woman later moved with the children to Haifa due to security concerns near a military base. She alleged the man illegally entered her allocated building, changed the lock, and lived there with his partner, a claim a court later upheld, ordering him to vacate.
The man filed his new lawsuit in June 2025, arguing the woman had worked little during the marriage and benefited from the business while he bore the household debts alone. He sought to establish 2019 as the determining year for financial equalization. However, Judge Nachmias noted the lack of a precise date for this claim. The woman's attorney argued the lawsuit was intended to pressure her, as the man's insolvency trustee had stated any compensation from the JNF would go to the insolvency proceedings.
The judge dismissed the claim, stating the man had not raised these financial claims in previous proceedings and that the 2023 agreement was intended to definitively end all property disputes. She highlighted that the District Court judges had congratulated the couple on reaching a settlement that would prevent future disagreements. The judge also pointed out the woman had waived equalization payments for the period the man exclusively occupied the compound, suggesting this waiver would not have occurred without a comprehensive financial settlement.