The Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education rejected a proposed settlement that would have ended the vice president lawsuit for $5,379.20 in costs. Three board members must now answer questions under oath.
The board voted in closed session to turn down the deal filed by district parent and attorney Daniel Lifschitz, the Beverly Press reported. The rejection means Board President Judy Manouchehri, Vice President Sigalie Sabag, and Board Member Russell Stuart must sit for sworn depositions scheduled to begin the week of July 28 and wrap up by approximately Wednesday, August 5.
The settlement, which Lifschitz said the district itself proposed and spent a week drafting with him, would have replaced Sabag with Board Member Amanda Stern as vice president through December's reorganization meeting, reimbursed Lifschitz $5,379.20 in court filing fees, removed a January 27 district press release about the lawsuit from all district platforms, and ended the litigation with each side paying its own attorney's fees. It included no admission of wrongdoing by either party.
"I'm both disappointed and confused by the board's decision to reject their own settlement offer," Lifschitz told the Beverly Press. "If they did not intend to approve our agreement, I have no clue why they approached me to propose it, worked with me over the last week to draft it, indicated it was acceptable for a vote and had me expedite my signature on the final version."
No vote tally from the closed session was made public. BHUSD Public Information Officer Colby Gilardian did not respond to a request for comment.
How the lawsuit started
Lifschitz filed suit in January 2026, alleging the board violated its own bylaws when it appointed Sabag as vice president in December 2025 instead of following the traditional rotation that would have given the seat to Stern. The board then amended its bylaws and held a second election in January, again selecting Sabag.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Tiana J. Murillo has sided with Lifschitz at multiple turns. She denied most of the district's motion to dismiss and, on Tuesday, July 21, ordered the depositions after rejecting the district's argument that questioning individual board members was unnecessary. Murillo wrote that Lifschitz "is entitled to investigate the validity of respondent's alleged Brown Act violation, including by deposing members of the board who allegedly participated in such violation."
The district's attorney, Gregory Snarr, did not respond to press inquiries following the July 21 ruling.
What comes next
With the settlement dead, Manouchehri, Sabag, and Stuart will answer questions under oath for the first time about the December 2025 vice president appointment. A district representative designated as its "person most qualified" must also be deposed. All depositions must be completed within 15 calendar days of the July 21 order.
