Payment of Compensation to Complainant for Unlawful Demolition of Vehicle by Jerusalem Municipality

Following the investigation of the Office of the Ombudsman, the Jerusalem Municipality paid compensation to a complainant whose vehicle was erroneously demolished due to mistaken identification of the vehicle owner

In her complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman, the complainant contended that the Jerusalem Municipality had unlawfully towed away and demolished her vehicle and though admitting to its error, was refusing to pay her appropriate compensation.

The investigation revealed that the vehicle had indeed been demolished without the complainant receiving prior notification, following the mistaken identification of the vehicle owner and after the municipality had contacted the former owner of the vehicle instead of the present owner.

The municipality admitted to the mistake, which had been made in good faith and as a result of human error, and claimed that according to the evaluation of an assessor, the vehicle was worth only 630 shekels.  The municipality informed the Office that it did not treat such mistakes lightly and that it learnt from them in order to prevent their recurrence.

Following the intervention of the Office of the Ombudsman and its demand that the municipality consider paying appropriate compensation to the complainant, after hearing her claim as to the actual value of the vehicle prior to its demolition, the complainant met with representatives of the municipality and the parties reached an agreement according to which the complainant would be compensated to the sum of 2,500 shekels for the damage caused.