Hazi Hinam Feud: Kuperly Seeks Dismissal of Shalom Family Lawsuit
Moti Kuperly, CEO of Hazi Hinam, has petitioned the Tel Aviv District Court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the widow and daughter of late founder Zaki Shalom, escalating a bitter corporate and real estate dispute.
The high-stakes corporate feud over the Hazi Hinam supermarket chain has escalated significantly as Moti Kuperly, business partner of the late founder Zaki Shalom and now sole CEO, has asked the Tel Aviv District Court (Economic Department) to dismiss a lawsuit filed against him by Mazal Shalom and Orit Shalom Bag, the widow and daughter of the late founder. Kuperly argues that the minority shareholders' legal action is a bad-faith tactic aimed at securing illegitimate objectives while disclosing confidential corporate information.
The Core Dispute and Real Estate Holdings
The lawsuit, filed three and a half months ago, asks the court to order the dissolution of the partnership in Shalom Investments, a real estate sister company established to invest surplus cash generated by the supermarket chain. The plaintiffs demand that Kuperly—who holds a 66% stake in the company—be ordered to buy out their 33% minority shareholding at a fair market value. Kuperly filed his dismissal request just a week after Calcalist revealed he had fired Orit Shalom Bag from her position as trade vice president of Hazi Hinam, following her removal as co-CEO three months prior.
According to Kuperly's legal filing, the plaintiffs attempted to disguise a purely monetary claim by fragmenting their requests for relief. He asserts that forcing a buyout while factoring in disputed damages attributed to his management amounts to a backdoor financial suit that requires proper court fee payments. "The right of access to the courts is not free, not even at Hazi Hinam," Kuperly's motion states.
Escalating Tensions and Financial Pressures
The bitter dispute erupted following the death of founder Zaki Shalom in August of last year. The plaintiffs argue that the delicate balance of trust that existed for decades has collapsed, citing a severe lack of transparency regarding real estate transactions, irregular debts, and corporate governance failures. Orit Shalom Bag claimed that Hazi Hinam—traditionally highly profitable—is currently buckling under an estimated 1.5 billion NIS debt burden driven by real estate guarantees and financing, placing the supermarket chain under banks' special credit supervision with annual financing costs reaching approximately 120 million NIS.
