Family Court Dismisses Alimony Claim as Ex-Spouses' Incomes Balance Out
A Hadera family court dismissed a mother's alimony claim, ruling that her and her ex-husband's disposable incomes are nearly equal under joint custody, while ordering an equal split of children's expenses.
A family court in Hadera has dismissed a mother's alimony claim against her ex-husband, ruling that their disposable incomes are nearly identical and ordering them to share children's expenses equally under a joint custody arrangement.
The couple married in 2009 and separated about four years ago, officially divorcing in 2024 with an agreed-upon schedule of equal parenting time. Initially, temporary maintenance required the father to pay 1,000 shekels per month for two children under six until they reached that age, while no maintenance was set for the two older children due to their ages and shared custody.
The mother argued that her ex-husband earned approximately 32,750 shekels per month from all sources, compared to her gross income of 12,000 shekels. She requested monthly alimony of 3,180 shekels and asked for an 80-20 split on educational and medical expenses. Furthermore, she claimed the father was concealing income through inflated business expenses and benefiting from family financial support.
The father denied the allegations, maintaining that the mother's calculations were flawed. Judge Einat Gilead-Meshulam ruled that the mother failed to substantiate her claims of hidden income, noting she could not explain her submitted tables, failed to request an expert financial review, and did not summon the accountant who prepared the financial reports.
Assessing the actual financial standing, the court estimated the mother's net income at 13,100 shekels and the father's net income at 10,500 shekels. After deducting reasonable housing and fixed costs, their disposable incomes stood at roughly 6,600 shekels for the mother and 6,500 shekels for the father.
Given the balanced disposable incomes and equal custody, the court ruled that neither parent must pay alimony to the other, ordering all child-related expenses to be shared equally. Additionally, the mother's request for 60 percent of the joint property due to alleged career sacrifices was rejected, as no dramatic earning gap was proven. However, the court ruled in favor of the mother regarding foreign investments, determining that profits mixed into the joint account must be divided equally. Due to the procedural conduct of the case, the mother was ordered to pay the father 14,160 shekels in legal costs.
