Millionaire plastic surgeon erupts with fury when grilled about socialite wife killing two boys with Mercedes during cocktail-fueled evening with her lover

By JOE HUTCHISON, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER and NEIL BLINCOW IN LOS ANGELES Published: 13:35, 9 June 2026 | Updated: 13:55, 9 June 2026 A well known plastic surgeon whose socialite wife killed two young boys in a booze-fueled hit-and-run crash erupted in a fit of rage while being grilled over their deaths.  Dr. Peter Grossman was questioned on Monday by lawyers representing the family of Mark and Jacob Iskander, 11 and 8, as part of a civil wrongful death trial.  His wife Rebecca, 62, and her ex-lover, one-time baseball star Scott Erickson, 58, were last week ordered to pay $176 million to the Iskander family with the jury now considering additional financial penalties.  On Monday, Peter was questioned on the witness stand by a lawyer for the Iskander family, Brian Panish, over his wealth and his wife's responsibility for the deaths.  At one point the LA Times reported that Peter responded in what the outlet described as a 'furious tone' at Panish.  Panish had asked Peter to apologize for his wife's speeding, drunk driving and killing of the boys to the jury - which he did. Rebecca Grossman has always denied murder and deployed a host of excuses for the boys' deaths.  Seizing on that admission, Panish continued: 'So you get it she was driving under the influence, killed the kids and tried to flee?'  In response Peter angrily said: 'That’s not what you just said'. His wife's car only stopped a third of a mile away from the crash site after the Mercedes' safety system shut the vehicle down due to being so badly damaged. Peter Grossman, seen here entering court in February of this year, was grilled on Monday by an attorney for the family of the two boys Grossman, seen here, was sentenced in 2024 to 15 years to life in prison after being convicted of second-degree murder, gross vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run driving Grossman's speeding 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.  The children were crossing the street with their family when the crash occurred, with attorneys for the boys' parents saying the pair’s vehicles reached speeds of up to 80 mph.  Grossman was sentenced in 2024 to 15 years to life in prison after being convicted of second-degree murder, gross vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run driving in a separate criminal trial. She was separated from Peter at the time but he stood by her throughout her trial and continues to do so.  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.  Peter was also grilled on Monday about property transfers involving homes in Texas and Georgia tied to him and his wife, as well as their Hidden Hills home.  Panish played prison phone recordings to the court that suggested they were attempting to move their assets to their children to potentially save them from financial ruin, the Times reported.  The jury of eight women and four men deliberated for two days before reaching their verdict awarding the compensatory damages to the dead boys’ parents, Karim and Nancy, and their third son Zachary, who was five when he narrowly escaped death or serious injury in the same crash. The total $176 million figure comprises $14 million to the parents for the loss of Mark and Jacob’s ‘love and companionship’ since the fatal crash and $93 million for the loss of their boys’ love and companionship in the future. Mark, 11, and Jacob, 8, were crossing the street with their family when the crash occurred Karim and Nancy Iskander were awarded $176 million by a jury last week as part of the civil trial Grossman and Erickson were photographed attending a fundraising event in 2020 shortly before the accident Nancy Iskander was awarded $10 million for her ‘severe emotional distress’ since the accident and $25 million for her future emotional distress. The jury said brother Zachary should receive $6 million for past and $28 million for future serious emotional distress. In response to the Iskanders’ original claim for a total of $439 million in compensatory damages, Grossman’s attorney said that her imprisoned client would be willing to pay ‘reasonable damages’ without specifying an amount. Erickson's lawyer offered a payout of $10 million. 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. The jury also decided that Grossman and Erickson ‘acted in concert’ leading up to the deadly crash. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. 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