California Socialite and Ex-Dodger Ordered to Pay $22M in Punitive Damages in Deaths of Two Young Brothers
A Los Angeles jury on Wednesday ordered socialite Rebecca Grossman to pay $21 million and former Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson to pay $1.17 million in punitive damages for the 2020 deaths of brothers Mark and Jacob Iskander. The punitive award follows a $176 million compensatory damages verdict from the previous week, after jurors found both defendants acted with malice in the fatal Westlake Village crash. The total $198 million civil judgment is one of the largest in a wrongful death case involving a drunk driving incident in California.
A Van Nuys Superior Court jury awarded the Iskander family an additional $22.17 million in punitive damages on Wednesday, bringing the total civil judgment against Rebecca Grossman and Scott Erickson to approximately $198 million. Grossman, 62, was convicted in February 2024 of two counts each of second-degree murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, plus hit-and-run driving, and is currently serving a 15-years-to-life prison sentence. The crash occurred on the evening of September 29, 2020, when Grossman struck brothers Mark, 11, and Jacob, 8, in a marked crosswalk on Triunfo Canyon Road in Westlake Village while driving her Mercedes SUV at approximately 73 mph in a 45 mph zone. Erickson, who was driving ahead of Grossman and narrowly missed the family, was found negligent in the civil trial despite not facing criminal charges. Attorneys for the Iskander family argued that Grossman and Erickson had been drinking margaritas together before engaging in a speed contest, while defense attorneys disputed claims of intoxication and racing. The California Supreme Court declined on Wednesday to hear Grossman's further appeal of her criminal conviction, following an appellate court panel's March ruling upholding it. The Iskander family acknowledged the verdict but noted that no financial award could ease the pain of losing their two sons.
What's missing
The sources do not address the practical likelihood of the Iskander family actually collecting the full $198 million judgment, including details about Grossman's and Erickson's assets or whether insurance coverage applies to any portion of the award.
How coverage differed
The New York Post framed the story with greater emphasis on the salacious personal details of Grossman and Erickson's relationship and the 'secret life' of a wealthy socialite, while The Independent and AP focused more neutrally on the legal proceedings, attorney statements, and the specific damages breakdown.
What different sources said
- The IndependentLeft
California socialite and ex-Dodger ordered to pay $22m over deaths of young brothers
- NBC Los AngelesCenter
Nearly $200M awarded to Westlake Village family in Rebecca Grossman fatal crash case
- AP NewsCenter
California socialite and ex-Dodger must pay $22M in punitive damages over deaths of young brothers
- ABC7 Los AngelesCenter
Rebecca Grossman, ex-Dodger Scott Erickson ordered to pay over $22M in punitive damages for crash that killed 2 boys
- New York PostRight
Jury slaps millions more in punitive damages for LA socialite Rebecca Grossman
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