A Hidden Hills socialite who allegedly struck and killed two boys while driving intoxicated in Westlake Village nearly three years ago did not appear as expected in a Van Nuys courtroom on Thursday.
Instead, attorneys for Rebecca Grossman, co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation and wife of prominent plastic surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman, appeared on her behalf initially.
Grossman’s attorneys said they did not know that Grossman was required to appear, and once they learned that information, their client came to the court house.
Grossman faces murder and other charges after she allegedly hit 11-year-old Mark and 8-year-old Jacob Iskander in a crosswalk on Sept. 29, 2020.
She is also accused of speeding, fleeing the scene and operating her car while under the influence of alcohol and a prescription drug.
While her blood alcohol content was slightly below or right at the 0.08% legal limit, prosecutors plan to include evidence that Grossman was also under the influence of Valium, a tranquilizer that is known by its generic name diazepam, according to The Acorn.
The prosecution plans to argue that when combined, the two substances can increase impairment, The Acorn reported.
Grossman, who was 57 years old at the time of the crash, is represented by Tony Buzbee, a prominent lawyer who recently represented at least 21 women who alleged sexual misconduct by Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Buzbee told The Acorn that there were only “trace amounts” of Valium in Grossman’s system.
“It won’t be a part of the trial, or shouldn’t be. Bottom line, we will demonstrably prove that Rebecca didn’t take any Valium and she wasn’t impaired,” Buzbee told The Acorn.
The defense also plans to argue that unsafe conditions in the crosswalk are to blame, according to The Acorn.
The trial is set to begin next month.