A request for leave to appeal is submitted to the court when the party does not have the option to file an appeal by right. If we can understand when a party has the option to file an appeal by right, we can also understand the situations in which a request for leave to appeal should be submitted to the court.
The right to file an appeal is established in Article 17 of the Basic Law of the Judiciary, which states as follows:
A judgment of a court of first instance may be appealed as of right, except for a judgment of the Supreme Court.
A similar provision also exists in sections 41 and 52 of the Courts Law. The difference is that sections 41 and 52 of the Courts Law also include reference to the issue of requesting leave to appeal.
Section 41 of the Courts Law deals with the District Court.
(a) A judgment of a district court in the first instance may be appealed to the Supreme Court.
(b) Another decision of a district court in a civil matter, and a judgment of a district court in an appeal, may be appealed before the Supreme Court, if permission has been granted by the President of the Supreme Court or by another judge of the Supreme Court whose President has designated it, or by the Supreme Court, and in a judgment – even if permission has been granted in the body of the judgment. Permission as stated in this subsection with respect to another decision shall be granted if the court is satisfied that if the appeal against the decision is heard within the framework of the appeal against the judgment and not immediately, it will have a real effect on the rights of the parties or that real harm may be caused to a party to the proceedings, or that a proceeding may be conducted unnecessarily or in an incorrect manner.
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b), leave to appeal shall not be granted –
(1) For types of decisions that the Minister of Justice has determined, by order, with the approval of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Knesset; if a type of decision is determined in such order, the order shall apply to a decision made after its commencement;
(2) On the decision of a district court on the question of whether a particular matter is a financial matter within the meaning of section 42B or an economic-administrative matter within the meaning of section 42C, or not, however, leave to appeal shall be granted against the court's decision that a particular matter is not a financial matter if the result of the decision is that the competent court is a Magistrate's Court.
Section 52 of the Courts Law deals with the Magistrate's Court.
(a) A judgment of a Magistrate's Court may be appealed to a District Court.
(b) Any other decision of a Magistrates' Court in a civil matter may be appealed to a District Court, if leave has been granted by a judge of the District Court. Leave as provided in this subsection with respect to any other decision shall be granted if the court is satisfied that if the appeal against the decision is heard within the framework of the appeal against the judgment and not immediately, it would have a material effect on the rights of the parties or that a party to the proceedings may suffer real harm, or that proceedings may be conducted unnecessarily or in an incorrect manner.
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b), leave to appeal shall not be granted –
(1) For types of decisions that the Minister of Justice has determined, by order, with the approval of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Knesset; if a type of decision is determined in such order, the order shall apply to a decision made after its commencement;
(2) On the decision of a Magistrate's Court on the question of whether a particular matter is a financial matter within the meaning of section 42B, or not, however, leave to appeal shall be granted against the decision of the court that a particular matter is not a financial matter if the result of the decision is that the competent court is a Magistrate's Court.
(d) Nothing in subsection (c) shall derogate from a party's right under law to appeal a decision as stated in that subsection within the framework of Appeal against the verdict.
That is, only after receiving verdict In the first instance The litigant has the right to file an appeal to a higher court (an appeal against a Magistrate's Court ruling to the District Court, and an appeal against a District Court ruling to the Supreme Court).
In all other cases, a request for leave to appeal must be submitted (which is submitted to the higher court) in order for the court to examine whether there is room to deviate from the rule and examine the ruling of the court that issued the decision or verdict in the lower court.
There are interim decisions for which a request for leave to appeal cannot be submitted.
The differences between a request for leave to appeal and an appeal of right
- A request for leave to appeal requires permission from the court to which the request is submitted before the court will consider the appeal. In an appeal on merits, permission from the court is not required.
- An appeal on merits is filed against a judgment of the first instance that heard the claim. A request for leave to appeal is filed against an interim decision in the case (any decision given up to the stage where a judgment was given).
- Appeal of rightIn the vast majority of cases, permission to appeal will be granted once (there are a few exceptions to this rule, such as an appeal against decisions of the Ethics Committee – in those cases, lawyers have two appeals to their advantage). A request for leave to appeal can be filed for almost any Interim decision (another decision) given in the case (however, this does not mean that the request for leave to appeal will be granted in all cases or at all).
- במקרה שבו מערערים בזכות על פסק דין של בית משפט השלום, ובית המשפט דחה את הערעור, ניתן להגיש בקשת רשות ערעור לבית המשפט המחוזי ("ערעור בגלגול שלישי"). נדיר שבקשות רשות ערעור בגלגול שלישי מתקבלות.
The conditions under which a request for leave to appeal will be accepted
As explained above, the rule is that an appeal of right must be filed at the conclusion of the proceedings. When an appeal of right is filed, it can refer not only to the judgment but also to interim decisions made throughout the proceedings. There are cases in which it is not possible to wait for the conclusion of the proceedings and an appeal is attempted by filing applications for leave to appeal immediately.
The court will grant a request for leave to appeal in the following cases:
- If it turns out that the party requesting permission to appeal will suffer serious harm that may affect its rights.
- If leave to appeal is not granted, an unnecessary and incorrect procedure may be conducted.
לאחרונה ניתנה החלטת בית המשפט העליון אשר עוסקת בסוגיית בקשת רשות ערעור על החלטת ביניים (רע"א 6982/21 רון יצחקי נ' הדר יצחקי בר, החלטה מיום 16.11.2021), בה נקבע, בין היתר, כך:
אמות המידה למתן רשות לערער על החלטת ביניים של בית המשפט המחוזי מעוגנות בסעיף 41(ב) לחוק בתי המשפט [נוסח משולב], התשמ"ד-1984 הקובע כי "רשות […] תינתן אם שוכנע בית המשפט כי אם הערעור על ההחלטה יידון במסגרת הערעור על פסק הדין ולא באופן מיידי, יהיה בכך כדי להשפיע באופן ממשי על זכויות הצדדים או שעלול להיגרם לצד להליך נזק של ממש, או שעלול להתנהל הליך מיותר או בדרך שגויה".
This is, therefore, a double test: first, there is a need for an immediate decision, and not at the end of the procedure. Second, if an immediate decision is not given, one of the following alternative situations may exist: a real impact on the rights of the parties; real harm to a party to the procedure; unnecessary or incorrect conduct of the procedure. In light of the above, the rule has been established in the case law that the appellate court will not easily interfere with interim decisions of the trial court, and these will be examined, to the extent relevant, within the framework of the appeal against the final judgment.
זאת, במטרה להבטיח את יעילות ניהול ההליך, ובכלל זה למנוע פיצול של ההליך וכפועל יוצא את עיכובו וסרבולו על כל העלויות הכרוכות בכך, וכן לנטרל את התמריץ לניהול הליכים משפטיים שלא בתום לב (רע"א 2856/12 כהן ו-21 אח' נ' מע"צ- החברה הלאומית לדרכים בישראל בע"מ, [פורסם בנבו] פסקה 10 (20.5.2012) (להלן: עניין כהן); רע"א 2552/16 זינגר נ' חברת יהב חמיאס טכנולוגיות (1990) בע"מ, [פורסם בנבו] פסקה 34 (10.5.2016)).
זאת ועוד, לבחינת החלטות הערכאה המבררת במסגרת ערעור על פסק הדין הסופי יתרון מובהק בכך שבשלב זה מונחת לפני ערכאת הערעור התמונה השלמה ומכלול החומר, וכן התפתחותו המלאה של ההליך ותוצאתו האופרטיבית – המאפשרים בחינה טובה יותר של החלטת הביניים, ולעיתים קרובות, מייתרים את הדיון בה (עניין כהן, פסקה 11; רע"א 368/13 הרשות הפלסטינית נ' נורז'יק ואח', [פורסם בנבו] פסקה 9 (23.4.2013); רע"א 6739/20 לוי נ' לוי, [פורסם בנבו] פסקה 12 (23.12.2020)). לפיכך, רק כאשר החלטת הביניים היא בעלת אופי בלתי-הדיר או שיש לה השפעה מכרעת על עצם ההליך, על מתכונת הדיון ועל זכויות הצדדים – או אז תתגבר הנטייה להיעתר לבקשה למתן רשות ערעור (רע"א 7219/11 הפניקס חברה לביטוח נ' בויראת, [פורסם בנבו] פסקה 7 (11.6.2012); רע"א 7682/06 אליהו חברה לביטוח בע"מ נ' אלוש, [פורסם בנבו] פסקה 4 (25.6.2007)).
…
למותר לציין כי ככל שיתברר בסופו של הדיון כי המשך בירור ההליך הוביל לניהול הליך מיותר או לנזק של ממש, ניתן יהיה לפצות על כך באמצעות פסיקת הוצאות (רע"א 2732/20 פרוש נ' פרוש, [פורסם בנבו] פסקה 19 (30.11.2020); רע"א 5161/13 ש.ב.א מפעלי מתכת בע"מ נ' שפרן, [פורסם בנבו] פסקה 8 (9.8.2013); רע"א 1481/13 גבעון נ' לוי, [פורסם בנבו] פסקה 6 (3.4.2013)).
In conclusion
There is a fundamental difference between a request for leave to appeal and the possibility of appealing on the merits. In the first case, the approval of the court hearing the request for leave must be obtained in order for the appeal to be heard. If leave is not granted, the request will be rejected.
A request for leave can theoretically be filed after any decision made throughout the proceedings. However, according to court rulings, leave to hear an appeal after a trial decision (as opposed to a judgment) will be granted in very exceptional cases, and usually the litigant will request to appeal such a decision as part of the appeal against the judgment.
It is highly recommended to consult with Claims lawyer Before considering filing a request for leave to appeal or Appeal against the verdict.
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Appeal or Request for Leave to Appeal
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How long does it take to file an appeal against a decision or ruling?
Within 60 days from the date of receipt of the court decision that you wish to appeal (Rule 140(a)(1) of the Civil Procedure Regulations).
On the other hand, Counter-appeal It can also be submitted at a later stage.
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What expenses should be taken into account in an appeal?
The main expenses are Court fee, guarantee To secure the respondent's costs of the appeal, andLawyer's fees.
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Is it always possible to file an appeal?
Filing an appeal It is possible to appeal the ruling given in the first instance that heard the claim. If you want to appeal again, you must submit a request for leave to appeal.
A ruling by a non-small claims court can only be appealed with permission.
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How long does an appeal process take?
Depends on the court hearing the appeal, but at least several months.
In the Supreme Court, an appeal process can take more than a year.
