The high-stakes atmosphere at the Van Nuys Courthouse reached a boiling point today, Monday, May 11, 2026, as former MLB pitcher Scott Erickson took the stand for a second day of grueling testimony. This marks the first time the public has heard a sustained, direct defense from Erickson regarding the 2020 Westlake Village crash that claimed the lives of Mark and Jacob Iskander.
As a primary defendant in the $100 million wrongful death lawsuit, Erickson is being treated as a hostile witness by the Iskander family's legal team. His testimony today provided a sharp, often tense contrast to the forensic data and emotional accounts that have defined the first ten days of the trial.
Under intense questioning from lead plaintiffs' attorney Brian Panish, Erickson maintained his defense that he was not "racing" Rebecca Grossman on the night of the tragedy. While forensic experts previously testified that Grossman's Mercedes was traveling at 81 mph seconds before the collision, Erickson’s defense team argued today that his black SUV was traveling at approximately 50 to 55 mph when he approached the Triunfo Canyon Road crosswalk.
The core of Erickson's testimony centered on a split-second choice. He testified that when he spotted the Iskander family in the crosswalk, he believed slamming on his brakes would have caused him to lose control of his heavy vehicle and potentially strike the children himself. Instead, he made the decision to speed up to clear the intersection.
"Mr. Erickson will tell you that if he had slammed on his brakes, he was concerned he would have hit the kids," his defense stated during the proceedings. "He made the decision to speed up a bit more—he knew he could clear the intersection safely."
However, the plaintiffs are using this admission to cement their "Virtual Wall" theory. They argue that by accelerating, Erickson’s large SUV physically blocked the children’s view of Grossman’s oncoming car and cut off their only path to safety, effectively "funneling" them into the path of the Mercedes.
A significant portion of the day was spent on WhatsApp messages exchanged between Erickson and Grossman between 2021 and 2024. Despite Grossman's criminal conviction and current imprisonment, the texts reveal a persistent connection and, more importantly to the jury, potential coordination on their legal strategies.
Panish hammered Erickson on a specific message from December 2023, where Erickson asked Grossman, "Do you seriously think my car was within 100 yards of you?" The plaintiffs argue these messages prove the two were more concerned with protecting their legal positions and "aligning stories" than with the truth of the crash.
The shadow of former teammate Royce Clayton’s emotional testimony from last week loomed large. Clayton previously swore under oath that Erickson called him just 10 minutes after the crash and admitted, "We were f***ing flying." Clayton also alleged that Erickson saw the impact in his rearview mirror and kept driving. Erickson today pushed back hard on the specific wording of those calls, maintaining he was aware of a "commotion" behind him but did not realize the catastrophic nature of the incident until much later. The tension was palpable as Erickson had to defend his character against the testimony of a man who was once his close friend.
**WATCH THE LIVE TRIAL
The trial is expected to continue for several more weeks.
You can follow the live testimony and see the forensic evidence presented in Courtroom 12 by following the official stream of NBC LA: Watch Pt. 2 Scott Erickson Testimony Here