Court Orders Nazareth Municipality to Refund Man After Wrongful Bank Levy
Translated & summarized from Bizportal by baba
A Nazareth man, Jamal Daher, won a lawsuit against the Nazareth Municipality after it wrongly levied his bank account for his ex-wife's property tax debt. The court ordered the municipality to return 5,189 shekels collected and pay Daher an additional 2,500 shekels in compensation and expenses. The municipality claimed joint ownership but the court found their records inconsistent and that Daher had made diligent efforts to resolve the error before legal action.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Jamal Daher was awarded 7,689 shekels after Nazareth Municipality wrongly levied his bank account.
- The municipality collected 5,189 shekels for his ex-wife's property tax debt without prior notification.
- The court found the municipality's claim of joint ownership inconsistent with other records.
- The municipality acknowledged receipt of the ex-wife's divorce certificate via email.
- The court ruled the municipality failed to prove it demanded payment before collection.
- Daher was awarded damages for emotional distress and expenses.
A Nazareth man, Jamal Daher, has been awarded 7,689 shekels by the Small Claims Court in Nova Galil-Nazareth after the municipality wrongly levied his bank account for his ex-wife's property tax debt. Daher discovered the levy only after 5,189 shekels were withdrawn from his account, with no prior notification. The debt was for a property registered to his ex-wife, from whom he divorced in 2006, and he stated he had no connection to the property, had never lived there, and was unaware of its existence.
Despite Daher's repeated attempts to clarify the situation with the municipality, including his ex-wife sending a divorce certificate via email on December 4, 2025, which was acknowledged by a municipal representative, the municipality proceeded with the collection. Municipal representatives allegedly admitted the levy was a mistake and promised to rectify the property association, but ultimately collected the funds.
The municipality argued that Daher and his ex-wife were still jointly registered as owners of the property and thus equally liable for the Arnona (municipal property tax). They also claimed the divorce certificate was never received and that tax notices sent to Daher for 2020-2022 were returned. The municipality requested the lawsuit be dismissed as vexatious.
Senior Registrar Aya Mahajna Karaman rejected the municipality's claims, noting that Daher was solely responsible for the property tax on another apartment registered in his name, contradicting the municipality's assertion of joint liability. The registrar found the municipality's explanation inconsistent with the facts, stating that their record-keeping issues worked against them. The court also found that the municipality had acknowledged receipt of the divorce certificate via email, refuting their claim of non-receipt. Furthermore, the court determined that Daher had diligently attempted to resolve the issue with the municipality before filing his lawsuit.
The court ruled that the municipality failed to prove it had demanded payment from Daher before initiating collection proceedings, as no documentation of such demands was presented. Daher's testimony was deemed credible and supported by evidence. The municipality was ordered to refund the 5,189 shekels, plus 1,500 shekels for emotional distress and inconvenience, and 1,000 shekels for expenses, totaling 7,689 shekels.