High-profile case9/24/2026

Maccabi Tel Aviv Shareholder Seeks $2.55 Million Over Share Transfer

VR Capital Group, which holds 17.5% of the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball club, has filed a lawsuit against ENDVR MTA, Jason Levin, Guy Harel, and other participants in the transaction. The plaintiff alleges that the share transfer was arranged in circumvention of its right of first refusal, but no judicial ruling has yet been issued in the dispute.

Key facts

•Plaintiff: VR Capital Group, which holds 17.5% of the club's shares
•Amount sought: $2.55 million
•Disputed transfer: approximately 14% of the shares
•Plaintiff's alleged potential holding: 55.5%
•The case number and court name were not specified
•The source does not report a judicial ruling

Who Filed the Lawsuit and Against Whom

VR Capital Group is headed by businessman Richard Deitz. The lawsuit was filed against ENDVR MTA, headed by Jason Levin; Guy Harel, who brokered the purchase of the shares from the Recanati family and Shimon Mizrahi; and additional parties. According to the plaintiff, the defendants acted in coordination with Naftali and Vinioko to bring the Levin group into the club's ownership.

What Is at the Center of the Dispute

The company alleges that the defendants sought to circumvent the restrictions on share transfers established in the shareholders' agreement. According to its account, the Recanati family's right of first refusal regarding the Federman family's shares was used for this purpose, after which the securities were intended to be transferred to Levin's company. VR Capital Group also claims that it exercised its right regarding this transaction and Ben Ashkenazi's shares, which should have increased its holding in the club to 55.5%.

What Violations Are Alleged

According to the statement of claim, approximately 14% of the club's shares were ultimately transferred to Levin's company: 7.5% from Naftali and 6.5% from Vinioko. The plaintiff believes that the share transfer, the board of directors' resolutions, and the notice of the transfer were contrary to the shareholders' agreement and violated Deitz's rights. The demand for payment of $2.55 million is based on claims of aiding a breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and negligence.

No Court Decision Has Yet Been Issued

The source reports only that the lawsuit was filed and does not specify the case number, the name of the court, or the date of the judicial ruling. Responses from Jason Levin and Guy Harel had also not been received by the time of publication. At the same time, Shimon Mizrahi and Richard Deitz attempted to resolve the disputes and avoid referring the dispute to arbitration, but the previous meeting did not result in an agreement.

What this means for you

The dispute illustrates that a right of first refusal and restrictions established in a shareholders' agreement may affect the validity of a transfer of holdings in an Israeli company and its consequences. For a party to such a transaction, not only the terms of the sale but also compliance with the corporate process, the decisions of the company's governing bodies, and the order in which notices are delivered to the other owners are important. Until the court considers the claims, all the violations described remain allegations by the plaintiff.

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