Former Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson took the witness stand Monday in a wrongful death civil trial, pushing back against claims that he was racing his then-lover when her Mercedes struck and killed two young brothers in a Westlake Village crosswalk.
Erickson, 58, testified that he "wasn't racing" with Rebecca Grossman on that tragic September day in 2020, when Mark and Jacob Iskander, ages 11 and 8, lost their lives. "I don't know what happened," Erickson told jurors, though he admitted he managed to swerve and avoid the boys while Grossman, speeding behind him, did not.
The case stems from a heartbreaking incident that has already sent Grossman to prison. The 62-year-old co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation was convicted of second-degree murder in 2024 and is now serving 15 years to life. Now, both she and Erickson face a civil lawsuit filed by the boys' parents, seeking accountability for the devastating loss.
Erickson's testimony came after a noticeable absence during the trial's first week. He told jurors he was in Mexico with a girlfriend, but the bulk of his questioning focused on his past relationship with Grossman, who is married to renowned surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman.
Under oath, Erickson made several damaging admissions. He confirmed deleting numerous messages exchanged with Grossman after the crash. More troubling, he acknowledged that when police asked him to turn over the Mercedes he was driving that day, he gave them a different vehicle instead.
The timeline of that fateful evening paints a picture of recklessness. According to testimony from the criminal trial, Erickson and Grossman had been drinking margaritas at a local cantina before getting into their separate vehicles to head to Grossman's home to watch a presidential debate.
Despite the gravity of the situation, Erickson continued messaging Grossman until near the end of her 2024 murder trial. "There's my girl," he wrote to her just days after the crash that took two young lives. The communications only stopped, Erickson said, when Grossman's son told him to leave the family alone.
The former World Series champion, who won titles with the Minnesota Twins and later pitched for the Dodgers, did not testify in Grossman's criminal trial. Now, as the civil case unfolds in Van Nuys, jurors are weighing whether both former lovers should be held financially responsible for a tragedy that no amount of legal maneuvering can undo.