Three sitting Beverly Hills school board members will sit for sworn depositions as early as next week after settlement talks in the vice president lawsuit collapsed at the board's July 28 Closed Session.

The board voted to reject a proposed agreement that would have ended the seven-month legal fight over how Vice President Sigalie Sabag was appointed, the Beverly Press reported. No vote tally was released. District Public Information Officer Colby Gilardian did not respond to a request for comment.

As we reported July 29, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Tiana J. Murillo ordered Board President Judy Manouchehri, Sabag, Board Member Russell Stuart, and a district representative to sit for depositions within 15 days of her July 21 ruling. That window closes around Aug. 5.

The rejected settlement would have replaced Sabag with Board Member Amanda Stern as vice president through December, reimbursed plaintiff Daniel Lifschitz $5,379.20 in litigation costs, and required the district to remove a January 27 press release about the case from its website and social media. Each side would have paid its own attorney's fees.

"I'm both disappointed and confused by the board's decision to reject their own settlement offer," Lifschitz, an attorney and district parent who filed the lawsuit in January, 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."

Lifschitz sued in January 2026, alleging the board violated its own bylaws when it appointed Sabag as vice president in December 2025 instead of following its traditional rotation, which would have elevated Stern. After the appointment was challenged, the board amended its bylaws and held a second election in January, again selecting Sabag.

The litigation lands as Manouchehri campaigns for a second term in the Nov. 3 board election. She filed for reelection in July, joining candidates Jared Gonzales, Jackie Kruger, and Kim Lifschitz for two open seats. The district said in January that the legal challenge diverted attention and resources from student-focused priorities.

The candidate filing period runs through Friday, Aug. 7.