Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Convicted LA socialite Rebecca Grossman’s husband, Peter, resumed testimony about their financial assets in the punitive damages phase of the wrongful death civil trial of two brothers.
LOS ANGELES (CN) — The testimony of a renowned Southern California plastic surgeon continued Monday, detailing his family’s wealth, as his imprisoned wife and her former lover face punitive damages for the deaths of two young brothers in a hit-and-run crash six years ago.
Dr. Peter Grossman was interrogated by Brian Panish, the attorney representing the family of Mark and Jacob Iskander, and accused Grossman of changing his answers to questions about the family’s finances, including out-of-state property, from a deposition taken in February.
“Where is the proof?” asked Panish about where money came from to purchase a house in Georgia. “What documents do you have that you took that money and put it into the trust? Do you have a receipt from the bank? Do you have a wire transfer? Do you have a check?”
“As I sit here right now, I did not bring anything with me, not knowing what your questions were going to be,” answered Grossman.
Panish extensively questioned Peter Grossman about a series of transfers earlier this year, including $200,000 from his brother. Grossman testified the money was generally intended for legal fees but said he was unclear on the specifics.
Under questioning by his own attorney, Jeff Braun, Grossman recalled numerous liens from creditors and the IRS on properties he currently owns or previously owned.
Jurors also heard recorded prison calls between Peter and Rebecca Grossman in which they agreed the family’s assets should be placed in trusts for their children. In one call played by Panish, Peter Grossman told his wife the boys’ mother was “full of shit.”
“I was frustrated, probably angry, and I think, when you’re frustrated and you’re angry you say things that are not always appropriate,” said Grossman, when asked by Braun why he said that.
Panish also asked for his view on his wife’s liability for her conduct and whether he thought her actions were reprehensible.
“I believe my wife acted negligently,” Grossman said. “She was responsible for the accidental death of at least one of those children. She is responsible and she accepts that.”
Throughout Monday’s testimony, Grossman answered multiple questions posed by Panish with the same response: “I can’t answer yes or no if it’s based on a false predicate.”
On June 3, a jury found Rebecca Grossman’s and Scott Erickson’s negligence caused the death of the children. Jurors also found they acted with malice, allowing the boys’ family to seek punitive damages on top of the $176 million in compensatory damages already awarded. The wrongful-death lawsuit was brought by the boys’ parents against Peter and Rebecca Grossman and Erickson, a former Major League Baseball pitcher who was romantically involved with Rebecca Grossman at the time.
Rebecca Grossman, 62, is serving a sentence of 15 years to life following her 2024 convictions on two counts of murder, two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter and one count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death. A California appeals court upheld those convictions in March.
Mark and Jacob Iskander, ages 11 and 8, were killed on Sept. 29, 2020, while crossing a marked crosswalk in a residential neighborhood of Westlake Village, an affluent city in western LA County. They were walking with their parents and two younger siblings.
Grossman and Erickson, a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Minnesota Twins and other teams, are accused of racing separate Mercedes SUVs after drinking margaritas at a Westlake Village restaurant.
The boys’ mother, Nancy Iskander, testified at Grossman’s murder trial the SUVs approached the crosswalk at “crazy” speeds and changed lanes as if they were playing a game. She grabbed one of her younger children and jumped clear of Erickson’s black SUV, but Grossman’s white SUV struck Mark and Jacob.
Grossman did not stop after hitting the boys, despite her airbags deploying. Her SUV came to a halt about one-third of a mile from the crosswalk.
Erickson, 58, avoided criminal charges by agreeing to film a public service announcement about safe driving.
Peter Grossman serves as medical director of the Grossman Burn Center and founded Grossman Plastic Surgery in West Hills, California. He also maintains contracts with hospitals and burn centers both within and outside California.
The trial resumes at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, June 9, with closing arguments before jurors begin deliberations.
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