Grossman Called Into Court After Initially Missing Hearing For Fatal DUI Trial: Report

AGOURA HILLS, CA — Rebecca Grossman, charged with fatally striking two boys with her car and fleeing the scene in 2020, initially failed to show up in court Thursday as required after her lawyers said they did not know she had to be there, according to a report.

Grossman's lawyers said they thought they could appear in the Van Nuys courtroom on her behalf for the pretrial hearing. Once a judge told the attorneys that was not the case, Grossman came to the courtroom, KTLA reported.

Grossman was charged in 2020 with two felony counts each of murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one felony count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death. Prosecutors say Grossman in September 2020 hit Mark, 11, and Jacob, 8, Iskander, who were crossing the street in a marked crosswalk.

Grossman faces a sentence of 34 years to life in prison if she's convicted of all counts.

Grossman, co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation and wife of prominent plastic surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman, is set to stand trial in July.

At earlier hearings this year, Judge Joseph Brandolino denied Grossman's attorneys' attempts to rule out pieces of evidence related to her level of intoxication.

A breathalyzer result taken on scene showed Grossman had a blood alcohol level of 0.076 percent, slightly below the 8 percent legal limit, while a sample taken three hours after the collision registered at 8 percent, The Acorn reported.

Additionally, Grossman's blood sample contained Valium, the newspaper's report continued.

Grossman's attorney, Tony Buzbee, told The Acorn the sample contained only "trace amounts" of Valium. "We believe that's a false read," he said.

He said that evidence should not be admitted to the trial, and he intends to prove that Grossman "didn't take any Valium and she wasn't impaired."