A Los Angeles County jury has awarded $176m to the family of two young brothers killed by socialite Rebecca Grossman in a high-speed crash in September 2020. The civil verdict found Grossman and former MLB pitcher Scott Erickson negligent in the deaths of 11-year-old Mark Iskander and his 8-year-old brother Jacob.
The boys were crossing a street in Westlake Village with a skateboard and inline skates when Grossman struck them with her car. The jury determined that Grossman and Erickson “acted in concert” leading to the fatal collision. Grossman is currently serving a 15-years-to-life sentence for second-degree murder in a related criminal case.
During the trial, attorneys for the Iskander family argued that Grossman and Erickson had been drinking at a restaurant before leaving in separate vehicles and were street racing. Expert witnesses testified that Erickson avoided hitting the family, but Grossman’s car struck the boys at about 73mph, throwing Mark more than 250 feet.
The jury awarded $59m for the loss of Mark, $48m for Jacob, $35m to their mother Nancy for emotional distress, and $34m to surviving son Zachary for emotional suffering. The jury also found malice, allowing a second phase to consider punitive damages. The family had sought $439m.
