Is the dispute within the management of Maccabi Tel Aviv heading in a new direction? During a hearing on Richard Dietz's petition for temporary and interim relief, attorney Zohar Lande said he received a proposal from a third party to conduct mediation among the parties instead of arbitration, in order to end the lengthy saga.
Judge Zimmerman, who presided over the hearing, announced during the proceedings that as far as he is concerned, the shares of Ben Ashkenazy, which were supposed to be sold to Jason Levien before Dietz, Recanati, and Mizrahi exercised their right of first refusal on the move, will be considered dormant and will not be distributed until the saga is resolved. Judge Zimmerman even clarified that his position is that arbitration will not put an end to the dispute within the club's management.
On behalf of Recanati and Mizrahi, attorney Dori Klagsbald demanded that if it is decided to go to mediation, it must be for a limited timeframe, or alternatively, that the mediation be conducted alongside arbitration. It was proposed that Moran Meiri serve as a mediator between the parties, and the proposal will be examined soon. Either way, a timeframe of two weeks was set to carry out the mediation, with attorney Reli Leshem appointed as arbitrator between the parties.
The parties are expected to try to reach agreements on the matter, while Judge Zimmerman is not expected to issue a mediation order between them.
At the same time, the court is expected to decide on the appointment of an arbitrator, after the appointment of the previous arbitrator fell through due to a dispute between the parties. Moran Meiri's name was raised, and the proposal will be examined soon, while attorney Reli Leshem was appointed as arbitrator.