A jury has ordered Rebecca Grossman, the imprisoned and estranged wife of prominent plastic surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman, and former Major League Baseball pitcher Scott Erickson to pay $22.2 million more in a lawsuit over the deaths of two boys who were killed in 2020 when Rebecca Grossman ran them over in an intersection, allegedly in a drunken driving street race with Erickson, with whom she was having an affair.
All told, the Los Angeles County jurors have ordered Grossman and Erickson to pay the family of Mark and Jacob Iskander a combined $198 million.
Jurors tacked on the punitive damages during proceedings on June 10. A week earlier, the jury had rendered a verdict in favor of the Iskander family, directing Grossman and Erickson to pay $176 million to the family, including $69 million for the emotion suffering of the boys’ mother, Nancy, and their younger brother, Zachary, who witnessed the boys’ deaths.
At the same time, the jury also found Grossman and Erickson had acted maliciously, paving the path forward to order the addition of the punitive damages.
Punitive damages are allowed in certain lawsuits as a means of punishing defendants for certain behavior or as a way of attempting to persuade the defendants and others to not engage in similar conduct in the future.
The Iskanders were represented in the case by attorneys from the firm of Panish Shea Ravipudi, of Los Angeles. In a statement, attorney Brian Panish said: “This case was about choices—dangerous, reckless, and selfish choices that cost two young boys their lives.
“The evidence showed exactly what happened: excessive speed, disregard for the rules of the road, and a complete failure to protect human life. The jury held both defendants accountable for the devastating consequences of those choices.”
The verdicts mark the latest steps in a years-long court fight, as the Iskander family has sought to make Grossman and Erickson pay for their roles in the deaths of the two boys.
The boys died on Sept. 29, 2020, when they were struck while walking in a crosswalk across a street in Westlake Village.
According to court documents and public reports, the Iskander family, including the three boys, Mark, 11; Jacob, 8; and Zachary, then 5 years old, and their parents, Karim and Nancy Iskander, were walking in the area around Triunfo Canyon Road and Saddle Mountain Drive in Westlake Village.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Rebecca Grossman and Scott Erickson had been drinking cocktails and were then allegedly racing each other at high rates of speed in their indiviual vehicles down Triunfo Canyon Road. According to evidence and testimony presented in court, Grossman and Erickson were lovers at the time, even though Grossman was still married.
Erickson, 58, is a former professional athlete, who pitched for six teams in a 15-year MLB career, notably including the Minnesota Twins, with whom he won 20 games and a World Series title in 1991, as well as the Baltimore Orioles. He also pitched briefly for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Grossman, 62, is known as a “socialite” and philanthropist. She is the estranged wife of Peter Grossman, a plastic surgeon and medical director of the Grossman Burn Center, which was founded by his father, Richard Grossman.
According to testimony and evidence, when Grossman and Erickson reached the intersection at which the Iskander family was crossing, evidence and testimony indicated the vehicles were traveling as fast as 80 mph in a 45 mph zone.
According to testimony, Erickson’s vehicle crossed through the intersection first. However, Nancy Iskander grabbed her youngest son who was closest to her and dodged Erickson’s vehicle.
However, when Grossman’s vehicle sped through the intersection immediately after, her vehicle struck and killed the boys, reportedly in full view of their mother and younger brother.
According to testimony and evidence, Grossman’s vehicle continued on after the collision, reportedly only stopping because the vehicle’s onboard system disabled the vehicle following airbag deployment.
Rebecca Grossman was criminally charged in connection with the boys’ deaths and was sentenced in 2024 to 15 years to life in prison.
Attorneys for the family have alleged Erickson attempted to mislead investigators about which vehicle he had been driving at the time of the accident, and that the Grossmans had allegedly discussed how to conceal assets to avoid exposing them to damages from the lawsuit.
Peter Grossman testified on his wife’s behalf during the civil trial and has pushed back on claims that his wife was intoxicated at the time of the boys’ deaths.
The plaintiffs have indicated they believe the jury’s verdict will be appealed.
