*A Van Nuys jury*, 8.
A Van Nuys jury awarded $176 million to the family of two boys killed in a 2020 Westlake Village crash, holding Rebecca Grossman and Scott Erickson liable. Punitive damages phase begins Thursday.
*A Van Nuys jury*, 8.
The jury also found that both defendants acted with malice or oppression, opening the door for punitive damages in a second phase of the trial set to begin Thursday.
The eight-page verdict form detailed how the $176 million was divided among the plaintiffs, according to court documents and reporting from The Acorn and The Los Angeles Times.
The Iskander family's attorney, Brian Panish, had asked the jury to award $439 million in compensatory damages alone. Panish told jurors during closing arguments that the verdict should represent "the truth of what these boys meant to this community."
"It's not an accident when you speed, and you drink, and you drive impaired," Panish said, according to The Los Angeles Times. "Who would act like that except someone who thinks they can do whatever they want and there are no consequences?"
Testimony at the civil trial in Van Nuys painted a picture of reckless driving that mirrored the criminal case. Witnesses said Grossman and Erickson had consumed margaritas at a Westlake Village restaurant before getting behind the wheel of separate Mercedes-Benz SUVs.
Experts testified that Grossman struck the boys at 73 mph in a marked crosswalk where the speed limit was 45 mph. Mark's body was found more than 250 feet away with the vehicle's grille marks on his body, according to expert testimony reported by The Times.
Nancy Iskander testified that she was on inline skates with Zachary on his scooter as the family approached the crosswalk at Triunfo Canyon Road and Saddle Mountain Drive. Mark was on a skateboard and Jacob was on inline skates, following just behind.
Erickson's vehicle drove past the family and narrowly avoided them. Grossman's vehicle did not.
Grossman's attorney, Esther Holm, argued that her client was not impaired and was traveling at approximately 52 mph, about 7 mph over the speed limit. Holm told jurors that Grossman never saw the children before the collision because she was distracted by the boys' mother "diving out of the way" of Erickson's vehicle.
"She wasn't racing; that's all speculation," Holm said, according to The Times.
Holm also argued that the City of Westlake Village shared responsibility due to the design of the crosswalk, which she said spans 70 feet and is not visible to drivers approaching around a curve. The jury rejected that argument and found the city not responsible.
Erickson's attorney, Jeff Braun, acknowledged that his client had lied to police and investigators about which vehicle he was driving at the time of the crash. Braun told jurors that $10 million would be a "reasonable sum" for the family's losses.
Grossman is already serving a sentence of 15 years to life in state prison after being convicted of second-degree murder in February 2024. Erickson faced only misdemeanor reckless driving charges, which he resolved by recording a public service announcement.
The jury's finding of malice and oppression means the plaintiffs can now seek punitive damages in a second phase of the trial. Los Angeles civil litigator Neama Rahmani, who was not involved in the case, told The Times that the case "had everything you need for a nuclear verdict."
"This was a big win for the plaintiffs," Rahmani said. "The only question is, how much will they collect from the Grossmans and Erickson?"
The jury deliberated for two days before returning its verdict on Wednesday.
This article was generated with AI assistance.