Grossman Punitive Damages
California Socialite Rebecca Grossman Must Pay $21M for Brothers' Reckless Driving Deaths
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A Los Angeles jury ordered California socialite Rebecca Grossman and former Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson to pay $22.17 million in punitive damages for the 2020 deaths of two young brothers, according to Associated Press. The award adds to a $176 million compensatory verdict handed down one week earlier, bringing the total judgment to roughly $198 million — one of the largest ever in a California traffic fatality case.
Grossman, 62, struck Mark Iskander, 11, and Jacob Iskander, 8, in a marked crosswalk on Triunfo Canyon Road in Westlake Village on September 29, 2020. She was driving between 73 and 81 mph after drinking margaritas with Erickson, The Independent reported. She drove another third of a mile before her car's safety system stopped the vehicle.
A $198 Million Verdict Built Over Two Weeks
On June 3, 2026, the civil jury found both Grossman and Erickson negligent and liable for the boys' deaths. It awarded $59 million for Mark, $48 million for Jacob, $35 million for their mother Nancy, and $34 million for their brother Zachary, who witnessed the crash, according to Courthouse News. That total came to $176 million — all before punitive damages were even considered.
On June 10, 2026, the jury added $21 million in punitive damages against Grossman and $1.17 million against Erickson, The Daily Journal reported. The jury found Grossman acted with "malice and oppression." Legal analyst Neama Rahmani told Los Angeles Times the case had every ingredient for a so-called "nuclear verdict": wealthy defendants, dead children, and a mother who watched it happen.
Racing SUVs After Margaritas, Then Fleeing the Scene
The Iskander family's attorney, Brian Panish, told the jury that Grossman and Erickson were racing their Mercedes SUVs after a night of drinking. Nancy Iskander, the boys' mother, witnessed the crash. She testified the two vehicles were going "crazy" fast as her sons stood in the crosswalk, according to ClickOnDetroit.
Erickson's car did not strike the children. But the jury found he "acted in concert" with Grossman during the race, making him a "substantial factor" in causing the deaths, Los Angeles Times reported. Erickson avoided criminal charges after he agreed to film a public safety video. He testified he has little left of the $46 million he earned in the MLB — a claim the jury appeared to weigh when setting his $1.17 million punitive share.
Grossman Already in Prison, Now Facing Asset Seizure
Grossman was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder, gross vehicular manslaughter, and hit-and-run driving in February 2024. A judge sentenced her to 15 years to life in June 2024, according to KTLA 5. On the same day as the punitive damages verdict, the California Supreme Court refused to hear her criminal appeal, Thousand Oaks Acorn reported.
During the civil trial, Panish played recorded prison phone calls in which Rebecca and her husband, plastic surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman, discussed hiding home equity. Panish alleged the couple transferred their 14,000-square-foot mansion into a trust under Peter's name to block the Iskander family from collecting, Courthouse News reported. Grossman's attorney, Esther Holm, argued the $176 million award was already enough and that there was "no evidence of deceit."
Family's Attorney: 'Everyone Must Be Held Accountable'
Panish said after the verdict that it "sends a clear message that everyone must be held accountable when their selfish actions put innocent lives at risk." Erickson's attorney, Jeff Braun, said they "respect the verdict" while acknowledging the family's "extraordinary loss," according to Los Angeles Times.
Legal analysts say the case sets a strong precedent in California for "implied malice" — a legal term meaning someone acted with a conscious disregard for human life — in high-speed street racing deaths. With Grossman's criminal appeals exhausted and asset transfers now under scrutiny, The Daily Journal noted her options to avoid paying the judgment are nearly gone.
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