A Los Angeles County jury has awarded $176 million to the family of Mark and Jacob Iskander, two young brothers killed in a 2020 high-speed crash in Westlake Village.
The jury found socialite Rebecca Grossman, 62, and former MLB pitcher Scott Erickson, 58, negligent and acting in concert during the September 2020 incident.
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The verdict followed an eight-week civil trial in Van Nuys, where the jury determined both defendants acted with malice.
A separate punitive damages phase is scheduled to begin Thursday.
Compensation Breakdown
The total compensation includes $59 million for the wrongful death of Mark, $48 million for Jacob, $35 million to their mother Nancy for emotional distress, and $34 million to their surviving brother Zachary.
Witness testimony showed Grossman and Erickson had been drinking at a local cantina before driving their SUVs to Grossman's home.
Expert witnesses testified that Erickson sped through the intersection and narrowly missed the family, while Grossman's Mercedes struck the two boys at 73 mph in a marked crosswalk.
Plaintiff attorney Brian Panish argued the pair were street racing and driving impaired.
"It's not an accident when you speed, and you drink and you drive impaired," Panish said.
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Defense attorneys challenged the allegations of racing and impairment.
They attributed the accident to poor visibility due to obstructing trees and cars, noting the city had been previously notified about safety issues at the pedestrian crossing.
Grossman's attorney, Esther Holm, said Grossman was driving around 52 mph, was not impaired, and became distracted when the boys' mother dove away from Erickson's vehicle.
"She wasn't racing; that's all speculation," Holm stated.
Erickson's attorney Jeff Braun argued his client never struck the children and should not be held liable, though he acknowledged Erickson made severe missteps during the investigation.
"My client made some stupid, stupid decisions related to this case," Braun said.
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Grossman is already serving a sentence of 15 years to life after being convicted of second-degree murder in a separate 2024 criminal trial.
