Rebecca Grossman told a Los Angeles County judge Friday that she wanted to keep her attorney and understood any potential conflict of interest involving the lawyer.
Inside a crowded Van Nuys courtroom, she sat at the defense table in brown jail garb and quietly answered Judge Joseph Brandolino's questions. She wanted to continue to be represented by James Spertus, she told him.
“Yes, I do,” Grossman, of Hidden Hills, said when Brandolino asked if she understood the potential conflict.
In February, jurors found Grossman, 60, guilty of second-degree murder in the deaths of two Westlake Village brothers. Weeks later, she hired Spertus and his firm to represent her on post-trial matters.
Prosecutors asked Brandolino to consider the potential conflict at a hearing Friday because Spertus also represents Diana Teran, a Los Angeles assistant district attorney facing felony charges in another case. The state Attorney General’s Office filed charges against Teran in late April, alleging she accessed confidential files in 2018.
Teran had been a supervisor of the unit prosecuting Grossman's case, knew confidential information and received daily briefings during the trial, prosecutors told the judge.
Judge drills down
After hearing from attorneys Friday, Brandolino said the two cases are unrelated. He found no actual conflict for Grossman, he said. But he told attorneys he would ask her a series of questions in an abundance of caution to make sure she understood the situation.
Grossman told the judge she had discussed the potential conflict of interest with her attorneys. She did not want to consult with a third party and did not need more time, she said. She understood she would be waiving her right to later argue the attorney was ineffective based on the issue, she said.
After her answers, Brandolino said he was satisfied.
On Sept. 29, 2020, Grossman was driving 81 mph just seconds before she hit Mark and Jacob Iskander in a crosswalk, prosecutors said. The speed limit on the Westlake Village street was 45 mph. The boys, 11 and 8, had been crossing Triunfo Canyon Road with their mom and younger brother.
During her trial, Grossman's attorneys argued that someone else was to blame. She faces a possible maximum sentence of 34 years to life in prison.
Teran no longer is involved in the Grossman case, which now is being overseen by the major crimes division in the DA’s office.
Grossman attorney says no conflict identified
Among their arguments, prosecutors had said Grossman could later say that her attorneys held back punches about the prosecution because it could hurt their other client, who had been involved in the case.
The court has wide discretion in deciding whether a waiver is sufficient to resolve a conflict or whether an attorney should be removed, Deputy District Attorneys Habib Balian, Ryan Gould and Jamie Castro wrote in a motion. Balian, of the major crimes unit, recently joined the other prosecutors.
Spertus told the judge that the cases had no overlap and the prosecution did not identify any potential conflict.
Grossman is married to plastic surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman, who was in the courtroom Friday along with Alexis, their daughter. Alexis sobbed as her mother was lead out of the courtroom. Her mom had said, “I love you so much,” as she walked by where they were seated.
Nancy and Karim Iskander, the boys' parents, also were in the courtroom Friday.
The judge is expected to hold a hearing in early June on a request for a new trial filed by Grossman's attorneys earlier this week. She is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260.
Most Popular
Comments / 0