The Brief A Van Nuys jury has ordered Rebecca Grossman to pay $21 million and former Dodger Scott Erickson to pay $1.17 million in punitive damages. This new financial penalty comes directly on top of the massive $176 million in compensatory damages awarded to the Iskander family last week. The civil lawsuit stems from a September 2020 incident where Grossman and Erickson allegedly engaged in a high-speed race, killing 11-year-old Mark and 8-year-old Jacob Iskander.



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.

She was found guilty on February 23, 2024, of two counts each of second-degree murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence

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