Rebecca Grossman case: 5 things to know after jury awards $176 million to family of boys killed in crash
More than five years after brothers Mark and Jacob Iskander were killed in a high-speed crash in Southern California, a Los Angeles County jury has awarded their family $176 million in damages on Wednesday.
The verdict found socialite Rebecca Grossman and former Major League Baseball pitcher Scott Erickson negligent in the 2020 collision that killed Mark and Jacob Iskander while they were crossing a street with a skateboard and inline skates in Westlake Village.
Dr Peter Grossman, the spouse of Grossman, is also subject to the $176 million damages penalty. He was a defendant in the action because he owned the car Rebecca Grossman was driving, and jurors determined he had given her permission to drive it.
The jurors found that Grossman, 62, and Erickson, 58, were careless and “acted in concert with each other in the course of their activities leading to the fatal collision.”
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5 key things to know about Rebecca Grossman and Scott Erickson
1. Rebecca Grossman was convicted of murdering the Iskander brothers. Rebecca Grossman is a Los Angeles-area socialite, philanthropist and co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation.
She was convicted in 2024 on two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one count of hit-and-run resulting in death.
She was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
2. Grossman was speeding in a residential area with Scott Erickson. Scott Erickson is a former Major League Baseball All-Star who played for teams including the Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees.
Prosecutors argued that Grossman was driving at speeds exceeding 70 mph in a residential area when she struck 11-year-old Mark and 8-year-old Jacob Iskander.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Grossman’s vehicle hit the two brothers at about 73 mph in a 45 mph zone. Additionally, they stated in their testimony that the impact caused Mark to be thrown over 250 feet away and left grille marks on his body. His brother Jacob was found across the street.
3. Grossman and Scott Erickson were drinking before the crash. Grossman and Erickson had been drinking at a nearby restaurant before departing in different cars, according to witness testimony given during both the criminal and civil trials.
The Iskander family’s lawyers alleged during Grossman’s criminal trial that Erickson and Grossman had been driving fast and racing along the same stretch of road shortly before the collision.
“It’s not an accident when you speed, and you drink and you drive impaired… Who would act like that except someone who thinks they can do whatever they want and there’s no consequences,” said Brian Panish, a lawyer for Nancy and Karim Iskander and their youngest and surviving son, Zachary, during the trial.
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4. Scott Erickson was never criminally charged. Erickson was not charged criminally in the crash case.
Erickson avoided striking the family as they crossed in a designated crosswalk, according to expert witness testimony. Erickson also denied racing.
5. Both Grossman and Erickson were responsible. The Los Angeles jury found that both Grossman and Erickson acted with malice in the Iskander boys’ deaths.
During the trial, Panish asked Erickson, “It took a jury verdict for you to come clean and admit under oath that you caused the deaths, you were part of it and you covered it up for almost six years, correct?”
To the question, Erickson replied, “Yes, that’s correct.”
Peter Grossman said, “My wife was involved in the accident and she bears responsibility for that.”