Beersheba Family Court Cuts Child Support After Father Buys Tesla Amid Increased Visitation
The Beersheba Family Court recently ruled to reduce the child support payments of a father following a significant increase in his visitation time with his child compared to the time at the divorce. The couple divorced in 2018, with the father initially ordered to pay 1,500 shekels monthly plus a third of rent costs up to 3,000 shekels. At that time, the child was an infant and spent minimal time with the father, without overnight stays.
The father sought to cancel child support payments entirely, citing increased visitation and a worsened financial situation, while claiming the mother’s financial status had improved due to her purchase of a new apartment. The mother opposed the cancellation and filed a claim for maintenance after the father stopped paying following her move to the new residence.
Judge Efrat Shoham Daliot rejected the father’s request for exemption from payments, noting his financial decline was linked to a 254,000 shekel loan taken to buy a Tesla car, with monthly repayments of 4,500 shekels. The judge found the father’s claim of saving on maintenance and fuel costs unconvincing, especially since he owned another car. The court also found the father’s income had increased since the divorce, with disposable income favoring him 75% to 25%. The mother’s financial improvement claim was dismissed, as her expensive apartment purchase was financed by a mortgage and loans totaling 580,000 shekels.
However, the court accepted the father’s argument that the increased visitation time, now 43% including overnight stays, justified revisiting the child support amount. The judge set the new child support at 1,000 shekels plus 500 shekels for housing costs. Both parents will share equally any extraordinary educational or health expenses for the child. Due to the mixed rulings, the court refrained from ordering additional expenses.
The father was represented by attorneys Noy Weitzman and Roy Halfon, while the mother was represented by attorney Adiel Melitz from Legal Aid. The case highlights the court’s balancing of financial realities and changing parental involvement in child support decisions.
