{"id":919772,"date":"2025-12-15T14:44:31","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T19:44:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T14:44:31","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T19:44:31","slug":"edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\/","title":{"rendered":"EDWARD SMOLYANSKY, A LIFEWAY SHAREHOLDER, RELEASES KEY DEPOSITION INSIGHTS, CALLS FOR WITHHOLD VOTE ON LEGACY DIRECTORS DORRI McWHORTER, JULIE SMOLYANSKY, AND JASON SCHER"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"xn-newslines\">\n<p class=\"xn-distributor\">PR Newswire<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"xn-content\">\n<p>\n        <span class=\"legendSpanClass\">CHICAGO<\/span>, <span class=\"legendSpanClass\">Dec. 15, 2025<\/span> \/PRNewswire\/ &#8212;\u00a0Edward Smolyansky, largest individual shareholder and nominee for director of Lifeway Foods, Inc. (Nasdaq: <a href=\"https:\/\/edge.prnewswire.com\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4580839-1&amp;h=2841380465&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Ffinance.yahoo.com%2Fquote%2FLWAY%2F%3Ffr%3Dsycsrp_catchall&amp;a=LWAY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">LWAY<\/a>), released key findings from 2023 sworn deposition highlighting major governance breakdowns under then CEO\/Chair Julie Smolyansky and the failure of legacy directors, Dorri McWhorter (current Board Chairperson) and Jason Scher to hold management accountable, ahead of the crucial shareholder decision.<\/p>\n<div class=\"PRN_ImbeddedAssetReference\" id=\"DivAssetPlaceHolder1\">\n<p>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/2845868\/Edward_and_Ludmila.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/2845868\/Edward_and_Ludmila.jpg\" title=\"Julie Smolyansky, Dorri McWhorter\" alt=\"Julie Smolyansky, Dorri McWhorter\" \/><br \/>\n          <\/a>\n        <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The following summary draws solely from Ms. McWhorter&#8217;s sworn deposition testimony and highlights why shareholders should\u00a0<b>WITHHOLD<\/b>\u00a0votes from the three legacy directors at the upcoming Annual Meeting.<\/p>\n<p>\n        <b>1. Fundamental Lack of Awareness of Investor Discontent\u00a0<\/b>\n      <\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the most alarming disclosure is Ms. McWhorter&#8217;s admission that she was\u00a0<b>unaware<\/b>\u00a0of the 2023 investor campaign<\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li>She had\u00a0<b>not reviewed<\/b>\u00a0the widely circulated 2023 activist letter by KWM blasting the CEO and Board for governance failures.<\/li>\n<li>She had\u00a0<b>no recollection<\/b>\u00a0of the accompanying press release by Lifeway, initially reading it <i>during<\/i> the deposition.<\/li>\n<li>She could not recall any Board discussion about the concerns raised by Lifeway&#8217;s largest long-term shareholders.<\/li>\n<li>She was unfamiliar with shareholder allegations regarding board accountability, disclosure failures, and compliance with the 2021 Settlement Agreement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The failure to stay abreast of shareholder concerns, in our opinion, raises significant red flags about her ability to act as a fiduciary for all shareholders. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\n        <b>2. Lack of Awareness of\u00a0Whistleblower Claims and Key Governance Risks<\/b>\n      <\/p>\n<p>Next, Ms. McWhorter confirmed that she:<\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li>Did\u00a0<b>not know<\/b>\u00a0whether Lifeway&#8217;s then-CFO made Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower allegations.<\/li>\n<li>Did\u00a0<b>not know<\/b>\u00a0whether those allegations were settled.<\/li>\n<li>Did\u00a0<b>not know<\/b>\u00a0whether the Board investigated or even discussed them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are not minor administrative details. Whistleblower activity involving the CFO \u2014 the executive responsible for financial reporting, controls, and investor disclosures \u2014 is a\u00a0<i>material governance event<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>A Board Chair who is unaware of whistleblower allegations inside the finance function is not exercising effective oversight.<\/p>\n<p>\n        <b>3. Improper Oversight of the failed 2021 Glen Oaks Acquisition<\/b>\n      <\/p>\n<p>Ms. McWhorter testified that:<\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li>The Board did\u00a0<b>not approve<\/b>\u00a0the 2021 acquisition of Glen Oaks prior to announcement of the deal<\/li>\n<li>Management informed the Board only\u00a0<b>after signing the agreement<\/b>;<\/li>\n<li>No Board meeting occurred to authorize the purchase;<\/li>\n<li>The Delegation of Authority was changed only\u00a0<i>after<\/i>\u00a0the fact.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Shareholders rely on the Board to review and supervise major corporate transactions. Ms. McWhorter&#8217;s testimony suggests the Board learned about a multimillion-dollar acquisition only after it was completed.<\/p>\n<p>Once again, Ms. McWhorter and legacy directors, including Jason Scher, failed to provide needed oversight and failed to act as true fiduciary for all shareholders.<\/p>\n<p>\n        <b>4. \u00a0Selective Enforcement of Conduct Policies and Breakdown of Oversight Integrity<\/b>\n      <\/p>\n<p>Despite being unaware of major governance issues involving the CEO, Ms. McWhorter testified that the Board relied heavily on a\u00a0<b>single email from 2018<\/b>\u00a0to terminate then-COO and director\u00a0<b>Edward Smolyansky<\/b>\u00a0in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Under oath she agreed:<\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li>The code of conduct applies equally to\u00a0<b>all<\/b>\u00a0officers, including the CEO.<\/li>\n<li>Threatening language warrants\u00a0<b>immediate discipline or termination<\/b>.<\/li>\n<li>If the CEO sent similar communications, the same rules would apply.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Yet she also testified that she:<\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li>Was\u00a0<b>unaware<\/b>\u00a0of whether the CEO ever sent comparable messages.<\/li>\n<li>Could not recall whether the Board investigated whether the CEO engaged in such conduct.<\/li>\n<li>Was unaware of evidence contradicting the Board&#8217;s selective enforcement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In short, the Board aggressively scrutinized one officer while\u00a0<b>failing to investigate<\/b>\u00a0whether the same standards applied to the CEO. That is not oversight \u2014 it is entrenchment.<\/p>\n<p>\n        <b>Conclusion:\u00a0Lifeway&#8217;s legacy directors including Dorri McWhorter, Julie Smolyansky, and Jason Scher have failed to provide oversight and to meet their fiduciary obligations to all shareholders. <\/b>\n      <\/p>\n<p>Across every category of governance \u2014 oversight of management, engagement with shareholders, enforcement of policies, response to whistleblower issues, M&amp;A supervision, compliance with agreements, and adherence to corporate procedures \u2014 Ms. McWhorter&#8217;s testimony highlights a Board that:<\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li>\n          <b>Failed in its obligations to stay engaged about shareholder concerns<\/b>,<\/li>\n<li>\n          <b>Failed in its obligations to maintain independence<\/b>,<\/li>\n<li>\n          <b>Lacked awareness of robust corporate governance practices<\/b>, and<\/li>\n<li>\n          <b>Failed to provide meaningful oversight<\/b>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These failures threaten shareholder value and undermine the integrity of Lifeway&#8217;s governance.<\/p>\n<p>For Lifeway to move forward, shareholders must demand\u00a0<b>competent, informed, independent board leadership<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>\n        <b>We therefore urge all shareholders to VOTE WITHHOLD on Dorri McWhorter, Julie Smolyansky, and Jason Scher.<\/b>\n      <\/p>\n<p>\n        <b>And vote FOR election of Edward Smolyansky and George Sent on the GREEN proxy card. <\/b>\n      <\/p>\n<p>Thank you for your support and commitment to restoring Lifeway&#8217;s value.<\/p>\n<p>Edward Smolyansky<\/p>\n<p>Key Shareholder, Shareholder Nominee for the Board of Directors<\/p>\n<p>For More Information visit my Linkedin profile <a href=\"https:\/\/edge.prnewswire.com\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4580839-1&amp;h=1679604144&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fedward-smolyansky-a2293627a&amp;a=www.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fedward-smolyansky-a2293627a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">www.linkedin.com\/in\/edward-smolyansky-a2293627a<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n        <b>Important Information<\/b>\n      <\/p>\n<p>This communication is not a request for a proxy to vote on any matter. Any written solicitation of a proxy by Mr. Smolyansky will be made through the definitive proxy statement (the &#8220;Shareholder Proxy Statement&#8221;). Lifeway shareholders are urged to read the Shareholder Proxy Statement, including any amendments or supplements thereto, and any other soliciting materials, when they become available as they will contain important information. Shareholders may obtain, free of charge, copies of the Shareholder Proxy Statement at sec.gov.<\/p>\n<p>\n        <b>Participants in the Solicitation<\/b>\n      <\/p>\n<p>Mr. Smolyansky has notified the Company of his intent to nominate himself and George Sent for election as directors of Lifeway at the 2025 Annual Meeting. Each of them may be deemed to be a participant in any solicitation of proxies by Mr. Smolyansky. Lifeway shareholders can find information regarding Mr. Smolyansky and Mr. Sent, and their respective direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, in the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/edge.prnewswire.com\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4580839-1&amp;h=3093063396&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sec.gov%2FArchives%2Fedgar%2Fdata%2F814586%2F000168316825008906%2Fsmolyansky_defn14a.htm&amp;a=Shareholder+Proxy+Statement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Shareholder Proxy Statement<\/a>\u00a0and in Mr. Smolyansky&#8217;s other filings with the SEC, all of which information is incorporated herein by reference.<\/p>\n<p>Contact: Edward Smolyansky, <a href=\"mailto:esmolyansky79@icloud.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">esmolyansky79@icloud.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"PURL\">\n        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Cision\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" alt=\"Cision\" src=\"https:\/\/edge.prnewswire.com\/c\/img\/favicon.png?sn=CG47794&amp;sd=2025-12-15\" \/> View original content to download multimedia:<a id=\"PRNURL\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prnewswire.com\/news-releases\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher-302642575.html\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.prnewswire.com\/news-releases\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher-302642575.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p>SOURCE Edward and Ludmila Smolyansky<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/rt.prnewswire.com\/rt.gif?NewsItemId=CG47794&amp;Transmission_Id=202512151440PR_NEWS_USPR_____CG47794&amp;DateId=20251215\" style=\"border:0px;width:1px;height:1px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PR Newswire CHICAGO, Dec. 15, 2025 \/PRNewswire\/ &#8212;\u00a0Edward Smolyansky, largest individual shareholder and nominee for director of Lifeway Foods, Inc. (Nasdaq: LWAY), released key findings from 2023 sworn deposition highlighting major governance breakdowns under then CEO\/Chair Julie Smolyansky and the failure of legacy directors, Dorri McWhorter (current Board Chairperson) and Jason Scher to hold management accountable, ahead of the crucial shareholder decision. The following summary draws solely from Ms. McWhorter&#8217;s sworn deposition testimony and highlights why shareholders should\u00a0WITHHOLD\u00a0votes from the three legacy directors at the upcoming Annual Meeting. 1. Fundamental Lack of Awareness of Investor Discontent\u00a0 Perhaps the most alarming disclosure is Ms. McWhorter&#8217;s admission that she was\u00a0unaware\u00a0of the 2023 investor campaign She had\u00a0not reviewed\u00a0the widely circulated 2023 activist letter &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;EDWARD SMOLYANSKY, A LIFEWAY SHAREHOLDER, RELEASES KEY DEPOSITION INSIGHTS, CALLS FOR WITHHOLD VOTE ON LEGACY DIRECTORS DORRI McWHORTER, JULIE SMOLYANSKY, AND JASON SCHER&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-919772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>EDWARD SMOLYANSKY, A LIFEWAY SHAREHOLDER, RELEASES KEY DEPOSITION INSIGHTS, CALLS FOR WITHHOLD VOTE ON LEGACY DIRECTORS DORRI McWHORTER, JULIE SMOLYANSKY, AND JASON SCHER - Market Newsdesk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"EDWARD SMOLYANSKY, A LIFEWAY SHAREHOLDER, RELEASES KEY DEPOSITION INSIGHTS, CALLS FOR WITHHOLD VOTE ON LEGACY DIRECTORS DORRI McWHORTER, JULIE SMOLYANSKY, AND JASON SCHER - Market Newsdesk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"PR Newswire CHICAGO, Dec. 15, 2025 \/PRNewswire\/ &#8212;\u00a0Edward Smolyansky, largest individual shareholder and nominee for director of Lifeway Foods, Inc. (Nasdaq: LWAY), released key findings from 2023 sworn deposition highlighting major governance breakdowns under then CEO\/Chair Julie Smolyansky and the failure of legacy directors, Dorri McWhorter (current Board Chairperson) and Jason Scher to hold management accountable, ahead of the crucial shareholder decision. The following summary draws solely from Ms. McWhorter&#8217;s sworn deposition testimony and highlights why shareholders should\u00a0WITHHOLD\u00a0votes from the three legacy directors at the upcoming Annual Meeting. 1. Fundamental Lack of Awareness of Investor Discontent\u00a0 Perhaps the most alarming disclosure is Ms. McWhorter&#8217;s admission that she was\u00a0unaware\u00a0of the 2023 investor campaign She had\u00a0not reviewed\u00a0the widely circulated 2023 activist letter &hellip; Continue reading &quot;EDWARD SMOLYANSKY, A LIFEWAY SHAREHOLDER, RELEASES KEY DEPOSITION INSIGHTS, CALLS FOR WITHHOLD VOTE ON LEGACY DIRECTORS DORRI McWHORTER, JULIE SMOLYANSKY, AND JASON SCHER&quot;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Market Newsdesk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-15T19:44:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/2845868\/Edward_and_Ludmila.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Newsdesk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Newsdesk\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/index.php\\\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/index.php\\\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Newsdesk\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/482f27a394d4fda80ecb5499e519d979\"},\"headline\":\"EDWARD SMOLYANSKY, A LIFEWAY SHAREHOLDER, RELEASES KEY DEPOSITION INSIGHTS, CALLS FOR WITHHOLD VOTE ON LEGACY DIRECTORS DORRI McWHORTER, JULIE SMOLYANSKY, AND JASON SCHER\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-15T19:44:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/index.php\\\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":953,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/index.php\\\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mma.prnewswire.com\\\/media\\\/2845868\\\/Edward_and_Ludmila.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/index.php\\\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/index.php\\\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\\\/\",\"name\":\"EDWARD SMOLYANSKY, A LIFEWAY SHAREHOLDER, RELEASES KEY DEPOSITION INSIGHTS, CALLS FOR WITHHOLD VOTE ON LEGACY DIRECTORS DORRI McWHORTER, JULIE SMOLYANSKY, AND JASON SCHER - Market Newsdesk\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/index.php\\\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/index.php\\\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mma.prnewswire.com\\\/media\\\/2845868\\\/Edward_and_Ludmila.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-15T19:44:31+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/482f27a394d4fda80ecb5499e519d979\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/index.php\\\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/index.php\\\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/index.php\\\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mma.prnewswire.com\\\/media\\\/2845868\\\/Edward_and_Ludmila.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mma.prnewswire.com\\\/media\\\/2845868\\\/Edward_and_Ludmila.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/index.php\\\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"EDWARD SMOLYANSKY, A LIFEWAY SHAREHOLDER, RELEASES KEY DEPOSITION INSIGHTS, CALLS FOR WITHHOLD VOTE ON LEGACY DIRECTORS DORRI McWHORTER, JULIE SMOLYANSKY, AND JASON SCHER\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Market Newsdesk\",\"description\":\"Latest Business News in Real Time\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/482f27a394d4fda80ecb5499e519d979\",\"name\":\"Newsdesk\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a0d0bd5b0f0ca12a265a459b13169dac35f33776d8501eda5e68844a366f2f46?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a0d0bd5b0f0ca12a265a459b13169dac35f33776d8501eda5e68844a366f2f46?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a0d0bd5b0f0ca12a265a459b13169dac35f33776d8501eda5e68844a366f2f46?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Newsdesk\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\\\/index.php\\\/author\\\/newsdesk\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"EDWARD SMOLYANSKY, A LIFEWAY SHAREHOLDER, RELEASES KEY DEPOSITION INSIGHTS, CALLS FOR WITHHOLD VOTE ON LEGACY DIRECTORS DORRI McWHORTER, JULIE SMOLYANSKY, AND JASON SCHER - Market Newsdesk","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"EDWARD SMOLYANSKY, A LIFEWAY SHAREHOLDER, RELEASES KEY DEPOSITION INSIGHTS, CALLS FOR WITHHOLD VOTE ON LEGACY DIRECTORS DORRI McWHORTER, JULIE SMOLYANSKY, AND JASON SCHER - Market Newsdesk","og_description":"PR Newswire CHICAGO, Dec. 15, 2025 \/PRNewswire\/ &#8212;\u00a0Edward Smolyansky, largest individual shareholder and nominee for director of Lifeway Foods, Inc. (Nasdaq: LWAY), released key findings from 2023 sworn deposition highlighting major governance breakdowns under then CEO\/Chair Julie Smolyansky and the failure of legacy directors, Dorri McWhorter (current Board Chairperson) and Jason Scher to hold management accountable, ahead of the crucial shareholder decision. The following summary draws solely from Ms. McWhorter&#8217;s sworn deposition testimony and highlights why shareholders should\u00a0WITHHOLD\u00a0votes from the three legacy directors at the upcoming Annual Meeting. 1. Fundamental Lack of Awareness of Investor Discontent\u00a0 Perhaps the most alarming disclosure is Ms. McWhorter&#8217;s admission that she was\u00a0unaware\u00a0of the 2023 investor campaign She had\u00a0not reviewed\u00a0the widely circulated 2023 activist letter &hellip; Continue reading \"EDWARD SMOLYANSKY, A LIFEWAY SHAREHOLDER, RELEASES KEY DEPOSITION INSIGHTS, CALLS FOR WITHHOLD VOTE ON LEGACY DIRECTORS DORRI McWHORTER, JULIE SMOLYANSKY, AND JASON SCHER\"","og_url":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\/","og_site_name":"Market Newsdesk","article_published_time":"2025-12-15T19:44:31+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/2845868\/Edward_and_Ludmila.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Newsdesk","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Newsdesk","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\/"},"author":{"name":"Newsdesk","@id":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/#\/schema\/person\/482f27a394d4fda80ecb5499e519d979"},"headline":"EDWARD SMOLYANSKY, A LIFEWAY SHAREHOLDER, RELEASES KEY DEPOSITION INSIGHTS, CALLS FOR WITHHOLD VOTE ON LEGACY DIRECTORS DORRI McWHORTER, JULIE SMOLYANSKY, AND JASON SCHER","datePublished":"2025-12-15T19:44:31+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\/"},"wordCount":953,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/2845868\/Edward_and_Ludmila.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\/","url":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\/","name":"EDWARD SMOLYANSKY, A LIFEWAY SHAREHOLDER, RELEASES KEY DEPOSITION INSIGHTS, CALLS FOR WITHHOLD VOTE ON LEGACY DIRECTORS DORRI McWHORTER, JULIE SMOLYANSKY, AND JASON SCHER - Market Newsdesk","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/2845868\/Edward_and_Ludmila.jpg","datePublished":"2025-12-15T19:44:31+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/#\/schema\/person\/482f27a394d4fda80ecb5499e519d979"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/2845868\/Edward_and_Ludmila.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/2845868\/Edward_and_Ludmila.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/edward-smolyansky-a-lifeway-shareholder-releases-key-deposition-insights-calls-for-withhold-vote-on-legacy-directors-dorri-mcwhorter-julie-smolyansky-and-jason-scher\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"EDWARD SMOLYANSKY, A LIFEWAY SHAREHOLDER, RELEASES KEY DEPOSITION INSIGHTS, CALLS FOR WITHHOLD VOTE ON LEGACY DIRECTORS DORRI McWHORTER, JULIE SMOLYANSKY, AND JASON SCHER"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/","name":"Market Newsdesk","description":"Latest Business News in Real Time","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/#\/schema\/person\/482f27a394d4fda80ecb5499e519d979","name":"Newsdesk","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a0d0bd5b0f0ca12a265a459b13169dac35f33776d8501eda5e68844a366f2f46?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a0d0bd5b0f0ca12a265a459b13169dac35f33776d8501eda5e68844a366f2f46?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a0d0bd5b0f0ca12a265a459b13169dac35f33776d8501eda5e68844a366f2f46?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Newsdesk"},"url":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/author\/newsdesk\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/919772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=919772"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/919772\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=919772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=919772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=919772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}