They hid a secret safe at Bank Leumi: and made a mistake that cost them millions

For years, collection proceedings were conducted against a couple who had fallen into debt by various creditors. However, one asset that had been linked to their names for years remained, according to attorney Mariana Lee, under the creditors' radar: a safe at Bank Leumi containing jewelry, watches, diamonds, and other valuables.

But the couple, who had been fighting battles for years against Bank Leumi, during which they also lost their apartment, decided not to honor the fee agreement they had signed with their lawyer. The lawyer, however, knew about the safe, and this information led to the loss of all its contents, which were liquidated to cover his fee.

The affair began back in 2008, when the safe was broken into by Bank Leumi following a dispute the couple had with the bank. The couple claimed over the years that its contents were worth 6 million shekels and that some of the valuable items allegedly kept in it had disappeared. Despite this, they never filed a lawsuit against the bank regarding the alleged disappearance of the items. In 2016, the couple turned to a lawyer who had already represented them in the past and asked him to work to return the contents of the safe to their possession. In the fee agreement between the parties, it was determined that the couple would pay the lawyer a small advance, as well as seven percent of the value of the safe's contents if it were returned to their possession. To secure his fee, the lawyer registered a lien of half a million shekels on the contents of the safe, and it was agreed by the parties that he would be entitled to realize it if his fee was not paid.

And so the lawyer began acting against the bank to release the contents of the safe, and even filed a lawsuit against the bank on their behalf. After several confrontations regarding the signing of documents concerning a waiver of rights, the bank agreed to hand over the contents of the safe to the couple, but asked them to sign a document confirming this. The lawyer recommended that the couple sign the document because it did not block their ability to sue the bank in the future if it were found that any items had disappeared from the safe. Despite this, the couple refused to sign, and the safe with its contents remained at the bank.

At this stage, the relationship between the couple and their lawyer began to deteriorate, and in 2022 they notified the court of the termination of representation. In 2024, the couple filed a lawsuit against the lawyer in which they claimed, among other things, that he had breached his obligations to them, and therefore his lien on the safe should be removed since his representation had ended. The lawyer refused to remove the lien and argued that his right to a fee had already crystallized years earlier, after he fought the bank until it agreed to hand over the contents of the safe to the couple without preconditions. The lawyer was represented by attorney Mariana Lee.

Parallel to the management of the proceeding in court, attorney Mariana Lee, on behalf of the lawyer, conducted execution proceedings to realize the lien, and was subsequently appointed herself as a receiver for the contents of the safe. Despite the couple's opposition, attorney Lee was allowed to realize the safe, and in this context its contents were transferred to the "Alma" auction house.

In June 2026, the first auction was held. 16 out of the 18 items offered in it were sold, and brought 16,750 dollars into the collection fund. Two other items remained for sale. Parallel to the loss of the safe, the couple continued to manage their lawsuit against the lawyer, but despite this, they refused time after time to complete the document discovery process despite court decisions. And so, after the last opportunity given to them by the court was also missed, Judge Itai Regev of the Magistrate's Court in Kfar Saba recently ordered the dismissal of the lawsuit. In his decision, Judge Regev determined that the couple would be charged with expenses in a cumulative amount of 7,500 shekels.

According to attorney Lee, the proceeds received so far from the sale of the safe's items are significantly lower than the fee debt owed to the lawyer, and she will continue to act against the couple to collect the balance due to him.

"I represent many lawyers who encounter a situation where a client does not pay them the agreed fee," says attorney Lee. "Many of them eventually give up, because they have no desire or strength to manage another legal proceeding themselves. Here the lawyer decided not to give up, stood by his rights established in the agreement, and in the end, the lien registered to secure his fee was also realized. This is exactly the reason why it is very important to regulate the fee and the securities for its payment in advance."