CVN screenshot of plaintiff attorney Brian Panish delivering his closing argument during the punitive damages phase of the trial
Los Angeles, CA - A California state court jury has tacked on roughly $22.17 million in punitive damages in a wrongful death lawsuit against former MLB pitcher Scott Erickson, who was found liable for the death of two children crossing the street while racing his car with a supposedly intoxicated socialite, and the full trial was recorded gavel-to-gavel by Courtroom View Network.
The punitive award comes on the heels of a compensatory damages award of $176 million, pushing the total amount Erickson and Grossman Burn Foundation co-founder Rebecca Grossman are liable for to just shy of $200 million. The second verdict caps a long-running trial that first began in late April.
Attorney Brian Panish of Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP, who represented Karim and Nancy Iskander, the parents of the deceased children, praised the Los Angeles County jury’s verdict and thanked them for holding Erickson and Grossman, who was previously convicted of second-degree murder and vehicular manslaughter over the incident, accountable for their “reckless” conduct.
The full trial, including all witness testimony and digital images of exhibits and demonstratives, is available for unlimited on-demand viewing with a subscription to CVN’s online trial video library. In addition to this trial, subscribers get access to hundreds of other trials in a wide range of practice areas featuring many of the top civil trial attorneys practicing today. Not a subscriber? Sign up today for a monthly or annual account.
During the trial jurors heard testimony that Erickson’s SUV was ahead of Grossman’s vehicle while they raced just before Grossman struck the two children, prompting the panel to determine Grossman and Erickson “acted in concert with each other in the course of their activities leading to the fatal collision.”
Defense attorneys in the case largely sought to assign blame to the other defendant.
Defense attorney Deborah Tropp, representing Erickson, urged the jury to find Grossman alone liable for the crash, acknowledging her client increased his speed as he neared the crosswalk but suggesting it was in an attempt to avoid the Iskander family.
Grossman’s attorney, Esther Holm, told the jury her client was not racing Erickson, arguing she didn’t see the children before her car struck them because she was distracted by the boys’ mother attempting to evade Erickson’s vehicle.
The trial took place before Judge Huey Cotton.
E-mail David Siegel at dsiegel@cvn.com
