Scott Erickson testified Friday that he has little left of the roughly $46 million he earned during his MLB career as jurors weigh punitive damages in the wrongful-death case over the deaths of Mark and Jacob Iskander. The testimony came after a jury awarded $176 million to Nancy and Karim Iskander and their surviving brother for wrongful death and emotional distress damages.
Scott Erickson Finances
Erickson told jurors he has not had a job since 2019. He said he has $9,000 in the bank, a $13,000 monthly MLB pension, $242,000 in a retirement account, and $200,000 in equity in a Las Vegas condo.
He also told the jury, "I feel terrible about what happened. I feel really bad about my actions and some of the terrible behavior I did," and, "I have not been very honest." He added, "I truly believe now if I had somehow been able to stop, I probably, possibly, could have saved their lives."
Van Nuys Punitive Damages
Brian Panish told jurors in Van Nuys that they needed to award punitive damages to punish Grossman and Erickson and send a message about their conduct. He questioned whether the two are hiding assets and accused Erickson of not disclosing information including a $237,000 withdrawal and an investment in an unidentified billion-dollar company.
Panish also told Erickson, "The punishment should fit the offense. You’d agree with that, right?" The punitive-damages phase now sits on top of the jury’s Wednesday award in the eight-week civil trial.
Westlake Village Crash Case
Rebecca Grossman is serving 15 years to life in prison after her conviction for second-degree murder in the Sept. 29, 2020, collision that killed Mark and Jacob Iskander. Erickson was in a separate AMG Mercedes SUV ahead of Grossman’s vehicle and was also found negligent in the crash.
Jurors found that Grossman and Erickson acted in concert with each other in the course of their activities. According to witness testimony at the criminal and civil trials, the two had been drinking at a Westlake Village cantina and were heading to Grossman’s home when the boys were struck in a crosswalk at Triunfo Canyon Road.
Erickson testified that he avoided hitting the brothers but Grossman did not. He said he believed he possibly could have saved the boys’ lives if he had been able to stop. The jury’s next task is whether to add punitive damages against both defendants on top of the existing award.
