Just weeks after a nearly $200 million verdict in a wrongful death case, defendant Rebecca Grossman has filed for divorce from plastic surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman, court documents show.
The Iskander family filed the civil suit against Grossman and Scott Erickson, her then-boyfriend and former Major League Baseball player, after Mark and Jacob Iskander were killed while crossing a Westlake Village road in 2020. The boys, 11 and 8, were struck while in a crosswalk with their mom and younger brother.
Grossman, now 63, was convicted in 2024 of second-degree murder and other charges stemming the crash. The civil trial against Grossman and Erickson, who also was on the road at the time, started in April in a Van Nuys courtroom.
On June 3, the jury reached
its initial verdict, finding both Grossman and Erickson to blame in the boys' deaths and awarding the Iskander family $176 million in compensatory damages. Jurors later awarded an additional $22 million in punitive damages.
By the end of July, court documents show that Rebecca Grossman had signed a petition for divorce. The document was then filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court in early August, and Peter Grossman's response came days later.
In the documents, both requested the divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences.
What did Peter Grossman testify about their marriage?
Rebecca and Peter Grossman married in May 2000, and on their divorce filings, both listed a 2018 date of separation.
Peter Grossman previously testified that he and his wife decided to date other people by 2020. But they continued to co-parent and didn’t separate, he said, during his wife's criminal trial. The two had a family home in Hidden Hills and had bought a house by Westlake Lake, which he described as a fixer upper.
In the petition and response filed this month, both stated that at the time, they were uncertain of the extent of community property, assets and debts.
Iskander attorney Brian Panish said the divorce cannot affect the judgment, because the debt was incurred during the marriage. Panish also said the couple had discussed details of a plan to file for divorce on recorded calls while Rebecca Grossman was incarcerated, the lawyer said.
In the divorce filings, Rebecca Grossman's attorney requested the court order spousal support and that Peter Grossman pay court costs and attorney fees. Peter Grossman's attorney requested the court enforce an April 2000 premarital agreement.
What happened the night of the crash?
On Sept. 29, 2020, Rebecca Grossman, cofounder of the Grossman Burn Foundation, and Erickson were driving in separate vehicles toward her house near the lake. They had drinks earlier and planned to meet at the home to watch the presidential debate.
During the civil trial, the Iskanders' attorney said Grossman and Erickson raced toward the intersection after drinking and didn't stop when the two boys were struck. They sped past people biking and walking, Grossman, in a white SUV, driving more than 73 mph in a 45 mph zone, the lawyer said.
Erickson, in a black SUV, drove through the crosswalk without hitting the boys, according to witnesses and the former MLB pitcher. Nancy Iskander, the boys' mom, grabbed her youngest son, the one closest to her, and dove out of the path of the vehicle, she said.
She looked up and saw the white SUV pass the spot where Mark and Jacob had been, the boys' mom has testified.
How long has Rebecca Grossman spent in prison?
In February 2024, the jury found Grossman guilty in the criminal case, and the judge ordered a deputy to take her into custody. She had previously been out of custody on $2 million bail since shortly after her arrest.
The judge sentenced Grossman to 15 years to life on each of two murder counts and three years on hit-and-run driving; all to run concurrently. She is currently serving her sentence at the California Institution for Women in Chino.
An attorney for Grossman asked the 2nd District Court of Appeals to reverse the convictions, saying her client's conduct did not rise to the level of murder. In March, the appellate court upheld her conviction, saying that substantial evidence supported the jury’s verdicts.
Grossman's attorney then asked the California Supreme Court to review the appeals court decision, and in June, the supreme court denied the request. At the time, the lawyer said her client may also ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review her convictions.
Cheri Carlson is a reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at ccarlson@vcstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Rebecca Grossman, husband file for divorce after wrongful death verdict
