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The damages awarded Wednesday were for wrongful death and
emotional distress. The trial judge will ultimately determine
how much each defendant has to pay.
Court resumed Friday as jurors must still decide whether to
award punitive damages to the boys' parents, Nancy and Karim
Iskander.
Grossman was sentenced in 2024 to serve 15 years to life in
prison after being convicted of second-degree murder, gross
vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run driving in a separate
criminal trial. She is a co-founder of the Grossman Burn
Foundation and the wife of a prominent burn doctor.
The boys' parents also filed lawsuits in civil court against
both Grossman and Erickson, who was driving ahead of her when
the Iskander brothers were killed. That trial began in April.
The deadly crash occurred on the evening of Sept. 29, 2020, in
Westlake Village, a city on the western edge of Los Angeles
County.
Brian Panish, the Iskander family's attorney, argued that
Grossman and Erickson were both driving recklessly after
drinking margaritas together. The two were dating at a time when
Grossman and her husband were separated.
Panish said Grossman was driving 73 mph (117 kph) when her car
struck the boys in a crosswalk on a road where the posted speed
limit was 45 mph (72 kph).
He said Grossman was following Erickson, who was also speeding
and narrowly missed the family.
“This was a totally preventable collision," Panish told the jury
in closing arguments Wednesday. “They went out for a walk, and
they never came home.”
Grossman's attorney, Esther Holm, denied that her client was
intoxicated. She said Grossman was distracted when she saw the
boys' mother dive out of the way of Erickson's vehicle.
“Ms. Grossman was not driving impaired," Holm told the jury.
“She did not see the children, as her attention was diverted by
Ms. Iskander.”
Erickson's attorney, Jeff Braun, called the boys' deaths a
tragedy but emphasized that the vehicle he was driving "made no
contact with the children.”
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