“Like a parking ticket?”: Court rejects father’s demand to increase fines for ex-wife
A mother of an 8-year-old girl was required to pay 150 shekels for every cancellation of a meeting between the child and her father. He sued to raise the amount to 1,000 shekels, but the court ruled: “An extreme and draconian demand.”
The Family Court in Petah Tikva has rejected requests filed by a separated father to expand visitation with his daughter and to increase the fine imposed on the mother to 1,000 shekels for every missed meeting. Judge Shirley Shai ruled that the requested amount was “draconian” and warned that forcing an expansion of visitation could lead to regression in the child’s well-being.
The couple separated when their daughter was a toddler, and she has remained in the mother's primary care. Amid their ongoing conflict, the court previously established a schedule of weekly three-hour meetings in the presence of the mother, with a 150-shekel penalty for any violation by the mother.
In his recent filing, the father argued that the current penalty is “ridiculous” and fails to deter his ex-wife, claiming, “she treats it like a parking ticket and allows herself to thwart meetings.” He accused her of systematic parental alienation and petitioned to increase visitation to twice a week at his home, rather than on a “public bench under the mother’s house,” which he described as “humiliating and unacceptable.”
The mother requested that both petitions be rejected, labeling the father “a camel that does not see its own hump.” She alleged that he frequently fails to notify her of cancellations and behaves like a stranger when he does attend. She also requested that the penalty mechanism be applied reciprocally.
Judge Shai dismissed the father’s requests, noting that there was no evidence of systematic obstruction by the mother that would justify such a high financial sanction. Regarding the expansion of visitation, the court cited professional assessments indicating that the child is not yet ready for such a change. The judge warned that exerting pressure could cause the child to regress to the point of refusing to see her father entirely.
“A very clear picture emerges,” the verdict stated. “There has been progress in the father’s relationship with the minor, however, it cannot be accelerated arbitrarily.” The judge urged the father to show patience and allow the child to continue therapy, noting that “patience will pay off” and that progress would be better achieved outside the courtroom. The court also rejected the father’s claims of alienation, noting that meetings are successful and the child expresses affection for her father.
• To read the full verdict — click here
• The article is in partnership with the Israeli legal website PsakDin
• Father’s counsel: Adv. Eli Kashti and Adv. Gracia Kashti
• Mother’s counsel: Adv. Galia Mark
• Adv. Sivan Ohana deals with parental alienation
• The author did not represent in the case
• The editorial team of the PsakDin website took part in the preparation of the article
• Ynet is a partner of the PsakDin website
