Former Los Angeles Dodgers player Scott Erickson and socialite Rebecca Grossman were both found negligent in the deaths of two children.
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According to ABC 7, a jury has awarded $176 million to the Iskander family. This family filed a civil lawsuit in January 2021 after the deaths of Mark and Jacob Iskander, aged 11 and 8. The lawsuit also included Grossman's husband, Dr. Peter Grossman, as a defendant. He owned the vehicle driven in the fatal incident.
The deaths occurred on Sept. 29, 2020. The civil lawsuit alleged that Grossman and Erickson, a former pitcher for the Dodgers, had cocktails before engaging in a speeding contest along Triunfo Canyon Road. The lawsuit alleged that they reached a crosswalk in a 45-mph zone, where they struck the two children at approximately 80 mph.
The $176 million in damages will have the purpose of compensating the family for the loss of the children. It's unclear how the money will be split between the three defendants.
Additionally, the jury added punitive damages after determining that Grossman and Erikson "acted with malice" in the deaths of the two children. Grossman received orders to pay $21 million. Erickson received orders to pay $1.17 million.
Grossman is currently serving a sentence of 15 years to life in prison. A jury found her guilty in 2024 of two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, and one count of hit-and-run driving. A panel from the Second District Court of Appeals has since upheld this conviction.
Erikson spent 15 years playing in Major League Baseball for six teams. He spent the most time with the Baltimore Orioles (seven seasons). He also played for the Minnesota Twins (six seasons), Los Angeles Dodgers (one season), New York Yankees (one season), New York Mets (one season), and Texas Rangers (one season). He won a World Series with the Minnesota Twins in 1991.
