Court Orders Hairdresser to Pay Over 8,000 Shekels Monthly in Child Support

A family court in Beersheba has ordered a hairdresser to pay 8,400 shekels per month for child support and housing expenses for his four children. The man had claimed he could not afford such payments, stating his monthly income was only 7,808 shekels before taxes, and that his business had suffered post-pandemic. However, his ex-wife presented evidence gathered by a private investigator, which suggested his income was significantly higher. The investigator observed the salon for seven days, counting approximately 47 visitors daily. Based on this, the court estimated the salon's monthly revenue to be at least 60,000 shekels, even with a conservative calculation of 40 clients per day at 60 shekels per haircut.

Further evidence came from a court-appointed expert who found a 744,000 shekel discrepancy between the father's declared income and actual bank deposits between 2019 and 2021. Additionally, the man's declared monthly expenses of around 27,300 shekels were deemed inconsistent with his reported income.

The court found the hairdresser's income claims unreliable, estimating his net monthly profit after business expenses at 50,000 shekels. While the court did not fully accept the wife's income claims either, setting her potential income at 6,444 shekels monthly, it factored in the father's limited involvement with two of the children and his opposition to equal time with his youngest daughter.

Consequently, the court ordered the father to pay 1,900 shekels for his adult son, 2,100 shekels for his elder daughter, and 2,400 shekels for his younger daughter. He was also ordered to pay 1,000 shekels monthly for each daughter's housing, plus 80% of their education and medical expenses. Payments are to be retroactive from the date of the initial claim, minus any temporary support already paid. The man must also pay 25,000 shekels in legal costs.