By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-06-05 21:57:30 | Updated at 2026-06-07 06:57:03
1 day ago
Convicted child killer Rebecca Grossman's ex-lover, one-time baseball star Scott Erickson, is 'pleading poverty' as he faces a potential multi-million punitive damages claim in addition to the $176 million a jury decided he and the wealthy socialite should pay.
But in court Friday, the World Series-winning pitcher admitted that he is part owner of a 'billion dollar' sports company.
Earlier this week, jurors ordered Erickson, 58, and Grossman, 64, to pay $176 million in compensatory damages to Nancy and Karim Iskander, parents of Mark, 11, and eight year-old Jacob who were killed when the wealthy socialite slammed her car into them at a crosswalk while she was racing the former ballplayer.
On the witness stand Friday – in the punitive damages phase of the eight-week trial – Erickson claimed that his assets are limited to $9,000 in his bank account, $13,000 a month from his MLB pension, $242,000 in a retirement and $200,000 equity in the Las Vegas condo where he lives.
But questioned by the Iskanders' attorney Brian Panish Friday, he confessed that in 2021, he invested $250,000 in his best friend, sports agent Rick Thurman's company Perfect Game, 'in anticipation of it becoming a billion dollar concern'.
Erickson – tanned and unshaven and wearing a dark jacket and pants and a cream open-necked shirt – told the jury of eight women and four men that in his 17-year pro baseball career that ended in 2003, he earned a total of $42.5 million.
'Where is all that money?' Panish asked him.
'Taxes, real estate I no longer own, I made some bad business decisions,' replied Erickson, adding: 'I got divorced and paid my wife.'
In court on Friday, Rebecca Grossman's ex-lover Scott Erickson claimed his assets are limited and don't cover the money he's been ordered to pay
Erickson was ordered to pay compensatory damages in the wrongful death lawsuit brought by Nancy and Karim Iskander over the deaths of sons Mark, 11, and Jacob, 8, who were struck and killed while crossing a street in Westlake Village in September 2020
He admitted not disclosing information about a trust of which he is both the trustee and beneficiary.
And he claimed to have 'no idea' about what happened to numerous sums of money withdrawn from his bank accounts, including one for $237,000.
But when Panish accused him of 'suppressing' the true nature of his financial status, Erickson said, 'I'm not suppressing evidence.'
He added that he felt 'true remorse,' about the deaths of the Iskander children.
'I feel terrible about what happened, about my actions. I made some mistakes. I have not been very honest.'
Jurors determined that Erickson was 'negligent' and that his negligence was a 'substantial factor' in the deaths of the boys. Judge Huey Cotton, presiding in the case, already ruled in a directed verdict that Grossman was negligent.
And the jury also decided that Grossman and Erickson had 'acted in concert' leading up to the deadly crash.
Earlier Friday, Panish played the court a video deposition of Grossman's husband, well-known plastic surgeon Dr Peter Grossman who runs three multi-million dollar burns hospitals in three states.
Grossman and Erickson were photographed attending a fundraising event in 2020 shortly before the accident. Erickson was charged with misdemeanor reckless driving and his criminal case was resolved in February 2022
Erickson, a former World Seeries winner, has vehemently denied any responsibility for the horrific pile-up for which his former lover, Rebecca Grossman is serving at least 15 years in prison
Karim and Nancy Iskander were seeking nearly half a billion dollars in damages for the loss of their two boys
Panish has accused the Grossmans of trying to hide millions in assets – including their $13.5 million home – by transferring properties to trusts in order to avoid paying the Iskanders.
And during the deposition, when Dr Grossman was asked for details about family trusts, his earnings, his business assets and many other financial issues, he repeatedly answered: 'Have no Idea, ' 'I don't know' or 'I don't recall.'
Evan though he and his wife filed joint tax returns, when asked about how much she earns, he replied: 'I don't know.'
On Thursday, Rebecca's attorney, Ester Holm, claimed in court that her client 'had not earned income for many years prior to the accident …and she was doing charity work where she was not being paid.'
Grossman's speeding white Mercedes SUV collided with both children, fatally injuring them, at a pedestrian crossing in Westlake Village, near Los Angeles, in September 2020, after she and Erickson both drank margaritas at a local bar.
Grossman was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison after jurors at her February 2024 criminal trial convicted her of two counts each of second degree murder and vehicular manslaughter, plus one of hit-and-run.
Erickson was only charged with misdemeanor reckless driving and that was dismissed after he made a public service announcement on the importance of safe driving.
But the 6ft 4in ex-athlete Erickson confessed on the witness stand during the civil trial that he lied to police about how much alcohol he had to drink before the deadly crash and admitted that he was convicted of DUI in Nevada 12 years ago.
Then and now: Rebecca Grossman arriving at court in 2024 and in her mugshot following her imprisonment
He also admitted that when police asked him to turn in the vehicle he was driving at the time of the crash, he produced the wrong car for inspection (at the time he owned two black Mercedes SUVs, illegally bearing the same license plate number).
Despite the lack of criminal charges against Erickson, the Iskanders named him as a defendant in their civil action, saying he bore equal responsibility with Grossman for the fatal crash.
Erickson was having an affair with Rebecca when she was separated from her husband, who is also a defendant in the lawsuit as the owner of the Mercedes she was driving at the time of the crash.
