A jury trial in the discrimination lawsuit brought by former Beverly Hills Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Laura Collins-Williams has been pushed to Oct. 12 to give both sides time to attempt a mediated resolution, the Beverly Hills Courier reported Aug. 8.
The continuance comes after a tentative settlement announced in May apparently fell apart. A court minute order filed May 13 stated that defense counsel told the judge the case had "tentatively settled" and that the agreement would go before the BHUSD board for approval in June. That board vote either did not happen or did not produce a final deal.
Collins-Williams filed the lawsuit in January 2024, alleging discrimination based on race, age and gender; retaliation; and a hostile work environment. She served as assistant superintendent for student services from 2017 until her resignation on Jan. 23, 2026, overseeing programs for the district's approximately 3,100 students.
Her attorney, Bradley Gage, declined to comment when the Beverly Press reported on the tentative settlement in May. A BHUSD spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment at that time.
The case adds a second active legal front for the district as it opens the 2026-27 school year and heads toward a contested November board election. BHUSD is already defending the separate vice president governance lawsuit filed by former board member Noah Lifschitz, which entered depositions the week of Aug. 4 after its own settlement talks collapsed. As we reported July 31, three sitting board members are being deposed in that case, and the district and each member have retained separate attorneys.
Gage also represents former BHUSD teacher Bella Ivory and former basketball coach Jarvis Turner in a separate discrimination lawsuit filed in December 2024. That case has a jury trial scheduled for November 2027.
If mediation in the Collins-Williams case fails, the jury trial is set to begin Monday, Oct. 12.
