Civil Trial Commences Against Rebecca Grossman and Scott Erickson Over 2020 Fatal Crosswalk Collision

Apr 25, 2026, 07:47

Introduction

Opening statements began on Friday in a civil trial seeking financial damages from Rebecca Grossman and former professional baseball player Scott Erickson. The case arises from a September 2020 incident in Westlake Village, California, in which Grossman struck and killed two young brothers, Mark and Jacob Iskander, while they crossed a street with their mother. Grossman is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence after a criminal conviction for second-degree murder.

Main Body

The civil proceedings, initiated by the boys' parents, Nancy and Karim Iskander, aim to establish liability for the deaths. Brian Panish, the Iskanders' lead attorney, asserted during his opening statement that both Grossman and Erickson continue to deny responsibility. Panish claimed that Grossman attributes the crash to the parents' negligence and the intersection's design, a position he characterized as an attempt to evade accountability. He further alleged that Grossman and Erickson were racing their Mercedes vehicles prior to the collision, citing witness testimony and vehicle data indicating Grossman's speed exceeded 80 mph in a 45 mph zone. Panish also stated that Grossman had consumed alcohol and had a blood alcohol level of 0.08 three hours after the crash, along with barbiturates in her system, which he argued could amplify impairment. Erickson's attorney, Deborah Tropp, contested these assertions, maintaining that her client was not racing and that his speed was approximately 50-55 mph. She argued that Erickson, upon seeing the boys in the crosswalk, accelerated to avoid them and believed he had not struck anyone. Tropp denied claims that Erickson fled the scene or hid in bushes, stating he returned to Grossman's residence and later went back to the crash site, where police prevented him from approaching. She also refuted testimony from Grossman's daughter that Erickson was intoxicated and agitated that evening, suggesting the daughter's account had changed over time. Grossman's attorney, Esther Holm, argued that her client was not impaired, was not speeding, and that the city of Westlake Village bore responsibility for failing to address known safety hazards at the crosswalk, such as absent stop signs and inadequate lighting. Holm contended that Grossman did not see the children due to an airbag deployment that created dust inside the vehicle, and that she did not attempt to flee. She also pointed to Erickson's actions, asserting that he did not warn Grossman of the children despite seeing them, and that he provided investigators with the wrong vehicle for inspection. Holm noted that Grossman and Erickson were in a relationship at the time, but characterized it as a known separation from her husband rather than a clandestine affair. Panish presented video testimony from former baseball player Royce Clayton, a friend of Erickson, who claimed Erickson admitted to racing and swerving to avoid the children, with Grossman subsequently hitting them. Tropp questioned the reliability of eyewitness accounts, noting contradictions among them. The Iskanders' legal team also played a deposition from Grossman's daughter, who stated that Erickson smelled of alcohol and appeared frantic after the crash. Grossman was not present in the courtroom, and her attorney indicated she would not testify. Erickson is expected to take the stand during the trial.

Conclusion

The civil trial continues with both sides presenting divergent accounts of the events leading to the boys' deaths. The outcome will determine financial liability for Grossman and Erickson, while Grossman remains incarcerated for her criminal conviction. The case underscores ongoing disputes over responsibility and the role of external factors such as intersection safety and alleged impairment.

Vocabulary Learning

alleged (adj.)
claimed but not proven / asserted without proof聲稱的；未經證實的
Example:He further alleged that Grossman and Erickson were racing their Mercedes vehicles.
clandestine (adj.)
kept secret or done secretively / characterized by secrecy or concealment秘密的；私下的
Example:He characterized it as a known separation rather than a clandestine affair.
deposition (n.)
sworn testimony / a written or recorded statement given under oath for use in court書面證詞；宣誓作證
Example:The Iskanders' legal team played a deposition from Grossman's daughter.
liability (n.)
legal responsibility / the state of being legally responsible for something法律責任
Example:The civil proceedings aim to establish liability for the deaths.
refuted (v.)
denied or disproved / to prove a statement or accusation to be false反駁；否認
Example:She also refuted testimony from Grossman's daughter that Erickson was intoxicated.

Sentence Learning

The civil proceedings, initiated by the boys' parents, Nancy and Karim Iskander, aim to establish liability for the deaths.
Reduced Relative Clause: This sentence uses a reduced relative clause (past participle phrase "initiated by the boys' parents") to modify the subject "The civil proceedings", omitting the relative pronoun and auxiliary verb. It also includes an appositive phrase "Nancy and Karim Iskander" providing additional identification. The main clause is simple but the participial phrase adds complexity.此句使用了縮減關係從句（過去分詞短語「由男孩父母發起」）修飾主語「民事訴訟」，省略了關係代詞和助動詞。同時包含同位語短語「Nancy and Karim Iskander」提供額外識別。主句雖簡單，但分詞短語增加了複雜性。
He further alleged that Grossman and Erickson were racing their Mercedes vehicles prior to the collision, citing witness testimony and vehicle data indicating Grossman's speed exceeded 80 mph in a 45 mph zone.
Participial Phrase with Embedded Relative Clause: This sentence features a participial phrase ("citing witness testimony and vehicle data") that provides additional information about the manner of the allegation. Within this phrase, there is an embedded reduced relative clause ("indicating Grossman's speed exceeded 80 mph") where the present participle "indicating" replaces a relative pronoun and verb. The overall structure is complex due to nesting.此句包含一個分詞短語（「引用證人證詞和車輛數據」），提供關於指控方式的附加信息。該短語內嵌一個縮減關係從句（「顯示Grossman的時速超過80英里」），其中現在分詞「indicating」代替了關係代詞和動詞。整體結構因嵌套而複雜。
Panish also stated that Grossman had consumed alcohol and had a blood alcohol level of 0.08 three hours after the crash, along with barbiturates in her system, which he argued could amplify impairment.
Non-Restrictive Relative Clause: This sentence contains a non-restrictive relative clause ("which he argued could amplify impairment") that provides additional commentary on the barbiturates. The clause is set off by a comma and is not essential to the meaning. Additionally, the sentence uses a prepositional phrase "along with barbiturates in her system" to add detail. The embedding of "he argued" within the relative clause adds further complexity.此句包含一個非限制性關係從句（「他認為這可能加劇損害」），對巴比妥類藥物提供附加評論。該從句由逗號分隔，對句意非必要。此外，句子使用介詞短語「以及她體內的巴比妥類藥物」添加細節。關係從句內嵌入「他認為」進一步增加了複雜性。
Panish presented video testimony from former baseball player Royce Clayton, a friend of Erickson, who claimed Erickson admitted to racing and swerving to avoid the children, with Grossman subsequently hitting them.
Absolute Construction: This sentence employs an absolute construction ("with Grossman subsequently hitting them") which is a participial phrase introduced by "with", providing an accompanying circumstance. The sentence also includes an appositive ("a friend of Erickson") and a relative clause ("who claimed..."). The absolute construction adds a layer of descriptive detail without a finite verb.此句使用了獨立主格結構（「隨後Grossman撞上他們」），這是由「with」引導的分詞短語，提供伴隨情況。句子還包括同位語（「Erickson的朋友」）和關係從句（「聲稱...」）。獨立主格結構在沒有限定動詞的情況下增加了描述性細節。
Grossman's attorney, Esther Holm, argued that her client was not impaired, was not speeding, and that the city of Westlake Village bore responsibility for failing to address known safety hazards at the crosswalk, such as absent stop signs and inadequate lighting.
Parallel Structure with Gerund Phrase: This sentence features parallel structure with three coordinated elements: two negative predicates ("was not impaired, was not speeding") and a third clause ("that the city... bore responsibility"). The third element contains a gerund phrase ("for failing to address known safety hazards") which functions as the object of the preposition "for". The use of "such as" introduces examples. The parallelism and gerund phrase create syntactic sophistication.此句具有平行結構，包含三個並列元素：兩個否定謂語（「沒有受損，沒有超速」）和一個從句（「該市...承擔責任」）。第三個元素包含動名詞短語（「因未能解決已知安全隱患」），作為介詞「for」的賓語。使用「such as」引入例子。平行結構和動名詞短語創造了句法上的複雜性。