Board approves AB 218 insurance-recovery counsel 3–2 at $1,730/hr
Vote 3-2 (Hills and Kelly opposed)
At the April 16, 2026 regular board meeting, the LBUSD Board voted 3-2 to retain counsel for insurance-recovery work on the district's AB 218 (retroactive childhood-sexual-abuse liability) matter at an hourly rate of $1,730, with a 10 percent discount producing an effective rate of $1,557 per hour. Trustees Howard Hills and James Kelly voted no. The agenda item title named "Morgan Lewis and Bockius"; in the live discussion, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Manoj Roychowdhury identified the contracted attorney as Dana John McCune of McCune & Harber LLP, described McCune as recommended by the existing AB 218 case counsel, and characterized the engagement as insurance-recovery work on policies dating to 1970. Board counsel John Pearl, asked whether the McCune firm was his firm, said it was not. The scope of the underlying Morgan Lewis & Bockius engagement, and whether that engagement is documented separately from the McCune retention, are not addressed on the record in the public portion of the meeting.
People referenced
Citations (3)
- Laguna Beach Unified School District · 2026-04-17
The legal services is to be used for the AB 218 claim reimbursement from the insurance at that point of time from 1970. So this legal firm specializes in that kind of claim reimbursement from insurance because the first thing the insurance was denying the claim. So we need an expert legal firm to pursue the claim.
Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Manoj Roychowdhury describing the scope of work during the open-session discussion of the legal-services retention vote.
- Laguna Beach Unified School District · 2026-04-17
This firm was brought to us by the counsel on the AB 218 case. It's who that counsel recommended that we use to pursue given the specialization.
Roychowdhury identifying McCune & Harber as a referral from LBUSD's existing AB 218 case counsel.
- Laguna Beach Unified School District · 2026-04-17
Different firms, not my firm, so I'm not plugging away for business, but there are other firms that provide these kinds of services for you know what's called like an insurance archaeologist.
Board counsel John Pearl confirming that McCune & Harber is not his firm and that the insurance-recovery specialty is held by multiple practitioners.