A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury in Van Nuys returned a $176 million compensatory verdict on June 3, 2026, against Rebecca Grossman and former Major League Baseball pitcher Scott Erickson, finding both liable for the 2020 crosswalk deaths of brothers Mark Iskander, age 11, and Jacob Iskander, age 8, in Westlake Village [1][2]. The civil action, brought by the boys' parents Nancy and Karim Iskander and their surviving son Zachary Iskander, proceeded on claims of wrongful death, negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress [3]. Grossman had already been convicted of second-degree murder in a separate criminal proceeding in 2024 before the civil case reached trial [4].
The jury found that both defendants struck the boys at a crosswalk and, critically, determined that each had acted with malice or oppression within the meaning of California's punitive damages statute [1][3]. That finding triggered a separate punitive phase, which had not concluded as of the verdict date. Lead plaintiff's counsel Brian Panish of Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP tried the case for the Iskander family [1]. Defense counsel Esther Holm represented Grossman and Jeff Braun represented Erickson [4].
The $176 million compensatory award is among the largest wrongful-death verdicts returned in California in recent years [3]. Because the jury's malice finding survives to the punitive phase, the total exposure for Grossman and Erickson remains open. The punitive phase will require the jury to weigh each defendant's financial condition and the degree of reprehensibility of their conduct before setting any additional award.
Post-trial appellate posture will depend in part on whether the punitive phase produces an additional award and whether either defendant moves for judgment notwithstanding the verdict or a new trial on damages. Grossman's simultaneous criminal exposure, following her 2024 murder conviction, adds a parallel layer of legal proceedings that may intersect with any civil collection efforts or further post-trial motions [1][3].