A dispute between Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education candidates David Cienfuegos and Jackie Kruger has escalated into competing civil harassment cases, allegations involving campaign sign thefts and a temporary restraining order that limits Cienfuegos’ contact with Kruger and her family. Cienfuegos subsequently sought a temporary restraining order against Kruger’s son, which a judge denied pending an Oct. 28 hearing, according to court documents obtained by the Beverly Press.

Kruger obtained a temporary civil harassment restraining order against Cienfuegos on Oct. 7. The order also protects Kruger’s husband, 17-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter and remains in effect until the hearing scheduled for Oct. 28.

The order prohibits Cienfuegos from contacting or harassing Kruger and the other protected family members and requires him to remain at least 100 yards away from them, their home, Kruger’s workplace, their vehicles and the schools attended by Kruger’s children.

Kruger said she sought the restraining order after Cienfuegos posted videos on social media showing her home, vehicle and license plate.

In his subsequent court filing requesting a temporary restraining order against Kruger, Cienfuegos defended his use of social media, saying his intent “was simply to ask people to help locate and identify the vehicle and to report on matters relevant to the election and not for the purposes of harassment.”

The court dispute comes amid Beverly Hills Police Department reports regarding a series of campaign sign thefts during the school board race, in which Cienfuegos alleged Kruger’s son was involved.

BHPD has received approximately 10 reports involving stolen campaign signs, according to the department. Police detained a juvenile on Sept. 29 in connection with thefts that occurred on Sept. 3, 4, 5 and 7. Signs belonging to Board of Education President Judy Manouchehri and Cienfuegos were stolen in those incidents, according to police.

BHPD has not publicly identified the juvenile.

The dispute between Cienfuegos and Kruger intensified publicly on Oct. 3, when Cienfuegos posted a series of videos on Instagram appearing to connect one of his opponents to the sign thefts.

The first video, obtained from surveillance footage from a residence, shows what appears to be a teenage boy exiting a white Tesla, removing a Manouchehri campaign sign from a front lawn and handing it to someone inside the vehicle. The license plate of the Tesla, the driver and any other possible passengers are not visible in the video.

A second video shows a white Tesla plugged in within an alley behind a residence displaying campaign signs for Kruger and fellow school board candidate Kim Lifschitz. The second video also displays the Tesla’s license plate. Cienfuegos also identified the residence by the street address in the caption.

“Remember the white Tesla with the black ski rack seen again and again stealing Judy and David campaign signs?” Cienfuegos wrote in the accompanying caption. “Well … spotted again.”

Cienfuegos wrote that the license plate was “a match” and suggested that voters would recognize the name associated with the vehicle’s registration.

“As for the name on the registration? You might recognize it when you open your school board ballot,” he wrote. “Now, ownership doesn’t tell us who was behind the wheel, but that’s quite a plot twist.”

The initial surveillance footage posted by Cienfuegos which captured the apparent sign theft does not show the vehicle’s license plate, however, and the post itself does not establish that the Tesla shown in the surveillance video is the same vehicle Cienfuegos later recorded.

Cienfuegos did not explicitly name Kruger or her son in the Instagram post.

Cienfuegos later made more explicit allegations in a sworn declaration filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court as part of his request for a civil harassment restraining order against Kruger’s 17-year-old son.

In the declaration, Cienfuegos wrote that Kruger’s son “has been identified as an individual depicted in video recordings removing campaign signs belonging to me and other candidates.” He further alleged that Kruger “directed, encouraged, facilitated, or knowingly condoned” the removal of campaign signs. However, Cienfuegos also acknowledged that ownership of the vehicle did not establish who was driving it.

In a statement issued by his campaign on Oct. 14, Cienfuegos said he was “deeply disappointed” by Kruger’s restraining order against him and argued that the court had heard only one side of the dispute when it issued the temporary order.

“We believe this action is an attempt to suppress our campaign in the final weeks before the election,” the statement said. “It is important for voters to understand that the court has heard only one side of the story and has made no finding that we did anything wrong.”

The campaign also said Cienfuegos had raised concerns about repeated thefts and vandalism of campaign signs and maintained that his social media posts concerned “a matter of public concern.” Cienfuegos said he intends to challenge the allegations in court and remains confident that the facts will support his position.

“What is most disappointing is that this school board election should be focused on students, academics, and the future of our schools,” the statement said. “Instead, it has become increasingly consumed by personal conflicts and legal maneuvering.”

Kruger has denied that she or her son were involved in the sign thefts. She said her son was never arrested or detained by the BHPD. She rejected Cienfuegos’ allegations in a statement.

“Seeking a restraining order was not a decision I made lightly, but my first responsibility is to protect my children,” Kruger said. “Mr. Cienfuegos’ allegations are knowingly false and baseless, and his own sworn declaration admits as much. He has chosen distraction and division over the issues because he knows he’s on the wrong side of them. Our community deserves a real conversation about our schools, and with him now restrained from this conduct, we can get back to the issues that matter for our students.”

BHPD did not confirm or deny whether the juvenile detained on Sept. 29 has any connection to any of the candidates.

Cienfuegos’ request for a restraining order sought personal-conduct and stay-away orders against Kruger’s son and asked that he remain at least 50 yards away from Cienfuegos, his wife, their home and Cienfuegos’ vehicle.

In supporting documents, Cienfuegos alleged theft, vandalism, conspiracy and interference with his campaign and asked the court to order restitution for the value of stolen signs.

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge denied Cienfuegos’ temporary restraining order pending a hearing on Oct. 28. His underlying request for a longer-term restraining order remains scheduled for consideration at that hearing.

The filings submitted by Cienfuegos include multiple BHPD reports documenting thefts of Manouchehri and Cienfuegos campaign signs from residences throughout Beverly Hills.

Signs in support of Lifschitz and Kruger have also been taken from many lawns, according to the two candidates. Lifschitz and Kruger both said that they have heard from many community members that their signs have disappeared, and provided a photograph of their signs found in a garbage can.

Additionally, a community member reported an incident in which a “kid on an e-bike” allegedly stole signs in support of Lifschitz and Kruger.