The vehicle owner left Israel on 7 November 2023 and has not returned since. That is the factual starting point of this piece, and on the material reviewed it is not in dispute between the parties. [1]

The procedural material reviewed contains service records stating that documents were delivered to the vehicle owner at an address in Israel, during a period in which, on that same starting point, he was not there. The vehicle owner says the service never took place, and that what was recorded does not describe an event that occurred. [2]

What the other side knew

The vehicle owner says that during the relevant period a private investigator acting for the other side contacted him and spoke with him directly. If so, then at the time the service was recorded at an Israeli address, the other side had an open line of contact with him, and knew he was not at the address where delivery was recorded. [1]

The distinction is not a technical one. Proper service is a precondition to the proceedings that followed, and the period for filing an objection runs from it. Where service is said not to have taken place, the open question is what the record of it was based on.

What would settle it

Settling this does not require an assessment of credibility. It requires documents: the record of departure from and residence outside Israel on one side, and on the other, a full account of every tracing and service step taken, with dates and means. The vehicle owner has asked the court to summon the process servers for examination. [3]

Until that happens, this piece sets out the material and the gap between the two accounts, and makes no finding on either.

Procedural status

The proceedings are pending. The service question was raised by the vehicle owner and has not been decided. What appears here are claims made in the proceedings or documents filed in them, not findings.

Responses

A written approach on the matters described here was sent to the other side. Any response received will be published here in full and promptly.

Sources

  1. The vehicle owner's account and the documents in his possession recording the date of departure from Israel.Personal document, not published here in full.
  2. The service records and process-server affidavits in the case material.Case documents; not published here in full.
  3. Applications and responses filed in the proceedings on the question of service.Case documents; not published here in full.

AI assisted in drafting this text. The content was reviewed and approved before publication. Nothing here is legal advice.