What to Know
Mark and Jacob Iskander were just 11 and 8 years old when they died on September 29, 2020. Mark and Jacob were crossing the street in Los Angeles with their mother, Nancy Iskander, and younger brother, Zachary, when Los Angeles socialite Rebecca Grossman ran over them with her Mercedes SUV. That night, Grossman and her boyfriend, Los Angeles Dodgers player Scott Erickson, were street racing, and things got out of control. Their quest for fun ended in total devastation for the Iskander family. A judge just awarded them $176 million in damages.
Grossman and Erickson were apparently street racing.
According to Fox News, Grossman and Erickson were each driving more than 70 miles per hour the night of the crash. Erickson narrowly missed hitting the family, but Grossman hit the boys and then fled the scene. The Los Angeles Times reported the pair had been drinking margaritas at a Westlake Village cantina, then decided to go home and watch a presidential debate. They took separate cars and were street racing.
“It’s not an accident when you speed, and you drink, and you drive impaired,” Nancy and Karim Iskander’s attorney Brian Panish said. “Who would act like that except someone who thinks they can do whatever they want and there’s no consequences?”
The trial took eight weeks.
Jurors listened to expert testimony for weeks before determining Grossman and Erickson’s negligence. Experts surmised Grossman was driving 73 mph at the time of impact. Investigators found Mark’s body 250 feet from the crash site with grille marks on his body. Jacob was on the other side of the road, experts shared. Even so, Grossman’s attorney, Esther Holm, argued her client did not speed.
Holm said the intersection had issues and that signage and trees impeded the driver’s ability to see.
“The city’s role is significant as much as Ms. Grossman’s and Mr. Erickson’s. The city was on notice of the problem,” she said.
The jury ultimately awarded the family millions.
Panish wanted $430 million in damages, according to the Times, but the jury awarded the family $176 million. The jury broke down the settlement, giving Nancy and Karim Isakander $59 million for past and future wrongful death damages for the loss of Mark and $48 million for the loss of love, companionship, comfort and care, assistance, and affection in Jacob’s death. Jurors awarded Nancy Iskander $35 million for emotional distress and $34 million to Zachary for emotional suffering.
Grossman’s murder convictions were upheld after an appeal which was held in March 2026. She is currently serving 15 years to life. Erickson was found liable in the civil trial but did not face criminal charges.
No dollar amount gives the Iskander family back what they lost on that crosswalk. But six years later, the jury made sure someone was held accountable.
