Regional Council Must Pay Hundreds of Thousands for Hosting Fire Evacuees
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
The Modi'in Region Council has been ordered by the Central District Court in Lod to pay NIS 218,243 plus interest and significant legal costs to a hosting company for services provided to families displaced by a 2019 fire. The court rejected the council's appeal, finding its attempts to evade payment and its procedural delays unjustified. The ruling concludes the council's prolonged legal battle to avoid settling the debt for the temporary housing.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Modi'in Region Council ordered to pay NIS 218,243 plus interest and costs for fire evacuee housing.
- Central District Court rejected the council's appeal, upholding a lower court's ruling.
- The debt is for hosting families displaced by a May 2019 fire in Mevo Modi'im.
- The council faced procedural setbacks and late submission of evidence during the trial.
- Legal costs awarded to the hosting company and the state total tens of thousands of shekels.
The Central District Court in Lod has rejected an appeal by the Modi'in Region Council, upholding a lower court's ruling that the council must pay hundreds of thousands of shekels for hosting families displaced by a severe fire in Mevo Modi'im in May 2019. Senior Judge Yaakov Shapsar ruled that the council's attempt to evade payment was unfounded and that there was no error justifying intervention in the previous verdict.
The council is now obligated to pay "Tzipori Hosting and Events Ltd." NIS 218,243, plus linkage and interest, along with substantial legal costs. The dispute arose after the council contracted the hosting company to provide alternative accommodation for fire victims from June to September 2019, but failed to pay the full amount owed.
During the legal proceedings, the council faced several procedural setbacks. In November 2024, Magistrate Judge Sarit Abadian of the Rishon LeZion Magistrate's Court denied the council's request to submit late evidence, which it claimed supported its argument for state funding. This request was made after testimonies were heard, despite the council possessing the document earlier. A subsequent appeal to Judge Eli Brand in January 2025 also failed to overturn the decision.
Judge Shapsar's ruling echoed Judge Abadian's findings, emphasizing that the evidence presented, including signed agreements and accounting records, conclusively proved the debt. The council's defense, which argued that the debt was unproven and that local authorities should not be liable for unbudgeted expenses, was rejected. The court also dismissed the council's reliance on government decisions, stating they did not constitute unlimited funding guarantees.
In addition to the principal debt, the council was ordered to pay NIS 40,000 in legal costs to the hosting company and NIS 40,000 to the state by the lower court. Judge Shapsar added further costs of NIS 15,000 to the hosting company and NIS 15,000 to the state in the appeal ruling, effectively ending the council's efforts to shift responsibility for the debt.