A Los Angeles jury has ordered California socialite Rebecca Grossman to pay $21 million in punitive damages and former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson to pay $1.17 million in punitive damages to the parents of two young brothers killed in a 2020 hit-and-run collision. The verdict follows a nine-week civil trial in which the jury previously awarded the Iskander family $176 million in compensatory damages for wrongful death and emotional distress.
Core Facts & Developments
The jury found Grossman and Erickson negligent in the deaths of Mark Iskander, 11, and Jacob Iskander, 8, who were struck by Grossman’s vehicle in Westlake Village on September 29, 2020. Grossman was convicted in 2024 of second-degree murder, gross vehicular manslaughter, and hit-and-run driving and is serving a 15-year-to-life sentence. Erickson, who was driving ahead of Grossman, testified that he avoided hitting the boys but acknowledged reckless driving.
Deeper Context & Perspectives
The civil trial revealed that Grossman and Erickson had been drinking at a Westlake Village cantina before the crash. Expert witnesses testified that Grossman was driving at 73 mph in a residential area. The jury’s punitive damages were intended to punish and deter such behavior, according to the Iskanders’ attorney, Brian Panish.
Erickson’s attorney, Jeff Braun, stated they respected the verdict but would review it with their client. Grossman’s attorney, Esther Holm, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The California Supreme Court rejected Grossman’s petition to review her criminal conviction shortly before the civil verdict.
The Iskanders filed the lawsuit against both Grossman and Erickson, arguing that their reckless actions led to the boys’ deaths. The civil trial began in April 2024, following Grossman’s criminal conviction.