Saying Rebecca Grossman and ex-boyfriend Scott Erickson think they are above the law, an attorney for the family of two boys killed in an alleged vehicle race between the defendants called on a jury Monday to assess hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
“It’s not an accident when you speed and you drink and you drive impaired, who would act like that except someone who thinks they can do whatever they want and there’s no consequences?” Brian Panish told the Van Nuys Superior Court panel during closing arguments in the trial of the Iskander family against Grossman, her husband, Dr. Peter Grossman, and Erickson.
The plaintiffs in the civil suit are Nancy Iskander and her husband Karim as well as son Zachary. The lawsuit filed in January 2021 contends that Rebecca Grossman and Erickson, a onetime Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher, had cocktails and the two later engaged in a speed contest along Triunfo Canyon Road until they reached the crosswalk and the children — Mark and Jacob Iskander, aged 11 and 8 — were struck at about 80 mph in a 45 mph zone by Grossman.
Panish said that although various witnesses gave different estimates on exactly how fast Grossman and Erickson were traveling, all 11 agreed the two defendants were speeding. Panish scoffed at Erickson’s trial testimony that he was not himself impaired, calling the former pitcher a “liar” and a “perjurer.”
“If i was a little rough on him that’s how I am,” Panish said.
Panish showed multiple blown-up photos of the slain children in happier times with family members. Those smiles on their children will never be seen again by their parents and brother, Panish said.
`They invested in their children, this was the most important thing to them,” Panish said, adding that the immigrant family was living the American dream until their two children were “run down by a resident and her boyfriend.”
Panish said he gave considerable thought to how much damages he would recommend jurors award.
“Yes, it’s a lot of money, but it’s a tremendous loss, what could be worse than seeing your kids run down by a drunk driver?,” Panish asked.
Both Grossman and Erickson were self-entitled and thought they could do what they wanted, according to Panish, who also said the surviving brother was also severely emotionally impacted.
Erickson testified earlier in the trial that he was in love at the time with the married Grossman and he denied that he was racing her or that he was impaired at the time.
In their court papers, the Iskander attorneys contend 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.
The benefactor then lied to law enforcement about her speed and how much she had to drink, and contended she did not know why her airbag suddenly deployed despite her vehicle sustaining massive front-end damage, the Iskander attorneys further state. Grossman and Erickson have blamed each other for hitting the boys.
Grossman is serving a sentence of 15 years to life in prison. In March, a panel of the Second District Court of Appeal upheld the criminal case conviction. Grossman was found guilty Feb. 23, 2024, of two counts each of second-degree murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one count of hit-and-run driving.
Dr. Peter Grossman is a renowned plastic surgeon whose father, Dr. Richard Grossman, founded the Grossman Burn Center in West Hills.