Rebecca Grossman, Scott Erickson ordered to pay $22M+ in punitive damages over Iskander boys' deaths
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Ex-Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson testifies in punitive phase of Grossman trial
In June 2026, a jury found Rebecca Grossman and Scott Erickson liable in the deaths of brothers Mark and Jacob Iskander.
LOS ANGELES - A jury has ordered socialite Rebecca Grossman to pay $21 million in punitive damages and former Dodger pitcher Scott Erickson to pay $1.17 million in punitive damages to the family of two boys who were fatally struck by Grossman's car on a Westlake Village street in September 2020.
This verdict brings the total damages awarded to the family to more than $198 million.
What we know:
The punitive damages verdict follows a major decision last week in which the same jury ordered the pair to pay $176 million in compensatory damages to the victims' parents, Nancy and Karim Iskander, and their surviving son, Zachary.
Because the panel found that both Grossman and Erickson acted with malice, the trial moved into this secondary phase to determine punitive financial penalties.
During closing arguments Tuesday, an attorney for the family had urged jurors to assess $20 million against Grossman and $1 million against Erickson—amounts the jury ultimately exceeded.
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The civil lawsuit, originally filed in January 2021, contends that Grossman and Erickson had cocktails on September 29, 2020, and later engaged in a speed contest along Triunfo Canyon Road.
Mark Iskander, 11, and Jacob Iskander, 8, were struck at about 80 mph in a 45 mph zone by Grossman as they were in a crosswalk.
Grossman's husband, Dr. Peter Grossman, is also a defendant in the civil suit because he owned the car his wife was driving.
Rebecca Grossman is currently serving a sentence of 15 years to life in prison.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Grossman civil trial moves to punitive phase
A jury found Rebecca Grossman and Scott Erickson negligent in the 2020 deaths of Mark and Jacob Iskander, awarding their family $176 million in damages.
She was found guilty on February 23, 2024, of two counts each of second-degree murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, and one count of hit-and-run driving.
A panel of the Second District Court of Appeal upheld the criminal case conviction in March.
What they're saying:
During the punitive phase, the legal teams presented drastically different pictures of the defendants and what constituted a fair punishment.
"Their lives will never be the same," Iskander attorney Brian Panish said in his closing argument. "He (Erickson) and Rebecca Grossman deserve each other because they're both the same kind of person."
Attorneys for Grossman and Erickson argued that their clients were not impaired and were not racing at the time of the accident.
Grossman attorney Esther Holm told jurors that a "message has been sent" already to Grossman with last week's $176 million compensatory damages verdict.
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"You don't have to award punitive damages," Holm said, adding that the boys' deaths were the result of "an unintended accident."
In court papers, the Iskander attorneys contended that the 62-year-old Grossman tried to flee the scene and likely would have succeeded had her vehicle not automatically shut down due to it sensing the massive impact that had just occurred.
Legal documents further state that the Grossman Burn Foundation co-founder then lied to law enforcement about her speed and how much she had to drink, pretending she did not know why her airbag deployed despite sustaining massive front-end damage. Grossman and Erickson have blamed each other for hitting the boys.
What's next:
With both the compensatory and punitive phases now concluded, the trial court will enter the final judgments against Grossman, Erickson, and Peter Grossman.
While the civil trial has reached its conclusion, the defendants retain the right to appeal the massive financial awards in the civil court system.
The Source: This report is drawn directly from Van Nuys Superior Court trial proceedings, explicit jury award counts, and official civil filings submitted by the legal counsel for both sides. Direct statements and arguments were sourced from Iskander family attorney Brian Panish and Grossman defense attorney Esther Holm during the closing phases of the trial, alongside validated public records regarding Grossman's prior criminal conviction and subsequent appellate court affirmation.