What led Rebecca Grossman and Scott Erickson to a $176 million civil judgment? Revisiting their lives today

A California jury has found Rebecca Grossman and former MLB player Scott Erickson liable in the deaths of brothers Mark Iskander, 11, and Jacob Iskander, 8. In June 2026, the jury awarded the boys’ family $176 million in damages, bringing another major development in a case that has drawn attention for nearly six years. The case goes back to September 2020, when Grossman and Erickson left a restaurant in Westlake Village, California, and drove away in separate vehicles. According to the Los Angeles Times, authorities said Grossman struck the two boys while they were crossing the street with their mother and younger brother. Prosecutors alleged that she was driving as fast as 81 mph in a 45 mph zone. Grossman was later convicted of murder, vehicular manslaughter, and hit-and-run charges. Erickson was charged with reckless driving, but that charge was later dismissed, according to his attorney, Mark Werksman, as reported by The New York Times.The tragedy happened on Sept. 29, 2020. According to the Los Angeles Times, Grossman and Erickson had been drinking margaritas at a restaurant before leaving in their own vehicles. A lawsuit later alleged that both were speeding along Triunfo Canyon Road in Westlake Village.As they approached a crosswalk, Grossman’s vehicle hit Mark and Jacob Iskander. Authorities said she was traveling above 80 mph. The boys were crossing with their mother, Nancy Iskander, and their younger brother.During the civil trial in May 2026, Nancy described the heartbreaking moments after the crash. According to the Los Angeles Times, she testified:“The white car passed exactly where Mark and Jacob were, and then I looked back and didn’t find them, and I started screaming. I went down the road, and I saw Mark; he had blood coming out of his mouth, and his shoes weren’t on him. I could tell he was all broken, and I could tell he died. … I just knew, I don’t know how, as a mother.”NBC 4 Los Angeles reported that Jacob was wearing skates and Mark was riding a skateboard when they were struck.Grossman was charged in December 2020. In February 2024, she was found guilty of two counts of murder, two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter, and one count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death, according to The New York Times.She was later sentenced to prison. Erickson has not been criminally convicted in connection with the case, though the June 2026 civil verdict found both him and Grossman liable for damages awarded to the Iskander family.