July 18, 2025 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

Jury awards $13.7 million to firm fired by Beverly Hills school district

Beverly Hills High School.
Beverly Hills High School.

A jury Wednesday awarded $13.7 million to a project management company that alleged the Beverly Hills Unified School District wrongfully terminated a contract for upgrading its facilities and tried to put the firm out of business.

The Los Angeles Superior Court panel deliberated for about 1 1/2 days before finding in favor of Strategic Concepts LLC, which was owned by Karen Christiansen.

Christiansen, who wept and hugged her attorney, Philip Kaufler, said after the verdict that she was relieved with the outcome.

“It’s been six years of hell and I’m excited it’s over,” Christiansen said.

Kaufler maintained that Jerry Gross, a former district superintendent, used his influence to get the firm’s agreement canceled with the complicity of the school board. Kaufler said Gross was a salesman for a competing company, TELACU, and wanted the $334 million building improvement project the plaintiff was overseeing transferred to his firm.

In the process, Strategic Concepts was destroyed, Kaufler said.

The jury awarded Strategic Concepts $7.7 million on its contract claim and $6 million on its allegation that the district’s actions put her company out of business.

Attorney Fred Fenster, on behalf of the school district, said the district will appeal. He said that only $72 million of the bond funds had been realized, yet the jury awarded Strategic Concepts a percentage based on the $334 million.

“We were very disappointed in the jury’s verdict because the jury awarded money that neither  Karen Christiansen nor Strategic Concepts was entitled,” Fenster said.

Fenster said that Strategic Concepts’ contract was terminated by the board in 2009 due to Gross’ diligence in uncovering excessive payments to the firm.

“He was the first to actively take a look at what was going on in this case,” Fenster said during his final argument Monday.

Gross became aware of “slot machine-type payments being made month after month” to Strategic Concepts, Fenster said, and decided it was “time to stop the bleeding,” according to Fenster.

The trial began with Christiansen as one of the plaintiffs, and a countersuit by the district against her company still intact. However, Judge Stephen Czuleger trimmed the case to leave Strategic Concepts as the lone plaintiff, and he dismissed the district’s countersuit.

Christiansen and Strategic Concepts had strong reputations for completing work for the district on time and under budget, Kaufler said. The projects included a science and technology center at Beverly Hills High School and a major building addition at Beverly Vista Elementary, he said.

In 2008, Strategic Concepts was awarded a $16 million contract to oversee construction for the BHUSD’s building improvement project, which sought to improve facilities in case of an earthquake and make them more secure, Kaufler said. Some board members were so concerned about the state of the aging school structures that they thought they could be sued personally, Kaufler said.

Christiansen’s reputation reached such a level that then-Superintendent Jeffrey Hubbard increased her monthly district car allowance from $150 to $500 and gave her a $20,000 stipend, Kaufler said.

“Karen was on the rise,” Kaufler told jurors.

But Hubbard later left to become superintendent of the Newport Mesa Unified School District. Less than a year after the Strategic Concepts deal was approved, Gross had been appointed superintendent and began his successful effort to get the firm’s agreement with the BHUSD canceled by falsely maintaining that Christiansen had conflicts of interest that were allowing her to become personally enriched, Kaufler alleged.

“It was a striking tale of corruption and fraud,” Kaufler said, telling jurors it was actually Gross who had “a direct conflict of interest.”

Gross worked with an attorney to try and dissuade district employees who admired and supported Christiansen from speaking on her behalf, he said.

“These were pure intimidation tactics,” Kaufler said. “They acted like the mafia.”

The district later “raided” the office of Strategic Concepts and took financial records that have yet to be returned, Kaufler said.

The BHUSD did not hire TELACU to replace Strategic Concepts.

But Fenster said it was Christiansen, not Gross, who used heavy-handed tactics to obtain money for work that was never funded or approved by the board.

“The mafia, hardly, but a shakedown, yes,” Fenster said. “She was doing whatever she could to get as much money as she could from the district as she could possibly obtain. If you look up the word ‘overreach,’ you’ll find Karen Christiansen’s name in bold.”

Both Christiansen and Hubbard were found guilty in separate trials of misappropriating public funds and conflict-of-interest charges, respectively. However, the convictions were overturned in 2013 by panels of the 2nd District Court of Appeal.

Related Posts

Man Arrested in Brentwood for Impersonating Firefighter During Palisades Fire

July 18, 2025

July 18, 2025

The suspect faces at least 28 criminal counts—including 23 felonies—spanning incidents from 2023 to May 2025 Federal and local law...

Study Highlights Economic Impact of Cap-and-Trade Extension in Los Angeles

July 18, 2025

July 18, 2025

Governor Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders are pushing to reauthorize the program this year, citing its role in generating 287,000...

Nearly $1B Secured for Refinancing of Westfield Century City Mall

July 17, 2025

July 17, 2025

The proceeds will replace a $925 million commercial mortgage-backed securities loan, originally issued by Morgan Stanley in 2023 and due...

West Coast Premiere of ‘The Opposite of Love’ Opens at Hudson Backstage Theatre

July 17, 2025

July 17, 2025

Produced by Neil Gooding Productions, behind shows like Back to the Future: The Musical, the play runs Thursdays through Saturdays...

Tesla Seen Nearly Crashing into West LA Home After Collision

July 17, 2025

July 17, 2025

Footage depicted a blue Prius on the road with significant front-end damage A crash involving injuries was reported around 12:30...

DUI Checkpoints to be Conducted Across LA This Weekend

July 16, 2025

July 16, 2025

The LAPD selects checkpoint sites based on data indicating high incidents of impaired driving-related crashes and arrests The Los Angeles...

Mayor Bass Hails National Guard Withdrawal as Victory for Unity

July 16, 2025

July 16, 2025

The Pentagon’s decision to reduce the troop presence follows weeks of legal challenges and public demonstrations Mayor Karen Bass celebrated...

(Video) Did You Know Emma Chamberlain’s Coffee Shop is in Century City?

July 16, 2025

July 16, 2025

The outpost is a first for the popular influencer Did You Know Emma Chamberlain’s Coffee Shop is in Century City?...

Dodgers to Host Back to School Bash for Fire-Affected Families

July 16, 2025

July 16, 2025

The free event will offer free groceries, school supplies, outfits, haircuts, medical screenings, and carnival rides The Los Angeles Dodgers...

Hundreds of Red-Legged Frog Tadpoles Released in Santa Monica Mountains

July 16, 2025

July 16, 2025

Once widespread in California, red-legged frogs vanished from the Santa Monica Mountains by the 1970s Nearly 600 California red-legged frog...

LA Sees Second Straight Year of Homelessness Decline, Leaders Celebrate Progress

July 16, 2025

July 16, 2025

The survey, designed by the University of Southern California, reported a 17.5% drop—the largest two-year decrease on record The Los...

Westwood Village Board to Discuss Public Art Initiative

July 15, 2025

July 15, 2025

The initiative aims to enhance community pride, boost local business revenue, and address urban blight through public art corridors and...

Beverly Hills Plans Major Apartment Development Near Civic Center

July 15, 2025

July 15, 2025

The site, currently holding 13 residential units, is slated for demolition to make way for the new development A proposal...

Federal Judge Sides with Santa Monica, Other Local Governments Against Immigration Raids

July 15, 2025

July 15, 2025

Santa Monica Mayor Lana Negrete praised the ruling, saying it reaffirmed the city’s commitment to protecting residents from unjust detention...

California Hits Two-Thirds Clean Energy Milestone

July 15, 2025

July 15, 2025

This year, clean energy has powered the state for an average of seven hours daily, with over 90% of days...