California
Jury awards $176M for wrongful deaths of young brothers struck by socialite’s car
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles jury has awarded $176 million to the parents of two young brothers killed in a hit-and-run collision when a California socialite’s car struck them in a crosswalk nearly six years ago.
The jury found both Rebecca Grossman and Scott Erickson, a former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher, negligent in the deaths of 11-year-old Mark Iskander and 8-year-old Jacob Iskander.
The damages awarded Wednesday were for wrongful death and emotional distress. The trial judge will ultimately determine how much each defendant has to pay.
Court resumed Friday as jurors must still decide whether to award punitive damages to the boys’ parents, Nancy and Karim Iskander.
Grossman was sentenced in 2024 to serve 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 is a co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation and the wife of a prominent burn doctor.
The boys’ parents also filed lawsuits in civil court against both Grossman and Erickson, who was driving ahead of her when the Iskander brothers were killed. That trial began in April.
The deadly crash occurred on the evening of Sept. 29, 2020, in Westlake Village, a city on the western edge of Los Angeles County.
Brian Panish, the Iskander family’s attorney, argued that Grossman and Erickson were both driving recklessly after drinking margaritas together. The two were dating at a time when Grossman and her husband were separated.
Panish said Grossman was driving 73 mph (117 kph) when her car struck the boys in a crosswalk on a road where the posted speed limit was 45 mph (72 kph).
He said Grossman was following Erickson, who was also speeding and narrowly missed the family.
“This was a totally preventable collision,” Panish told the jury in closing arguments Wednesday. “They went out for a walk, and they never came home.”
Grossman’s attorney, Esther Holm, denied that her client was intoxicated. She said Grossman was distracted when she saw the boys’ mother dive out of the way of Erickson’s vehicle.
“Ms. Grossman was not driving impaired,” Holm told the jury. “She did not see the children, as her attention was diverted by Ms. Iskander.”
Erickson’s attorney, Jeff Braun, called the boys’ deaths a tragedy but emphasized that the vehicle he was driving “made no contact with the children.”
New York
Lawsuit seeks to stop the UFC fight on the White House South Lawn
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal lawsuit seeks to halt the upcoming UFC fight card on the White House South Lawn in a mixed martial arts show timed for President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and part of the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The filing Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia residents contends the Trump administration’s authorization of the June 14 event was unlawful. The lawsuit says such approval violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands, Congress did not consent to the towering arch overlooking the event space and no environmental review was conducted before the construction.
“This is fundamentally a private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain,” said Brendan Ballou, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. “And that is what is motivating this lawsuit.”
The White House said in a statement that the legal challenge was “an obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory” attempt to prevent Trump from hosting the fight and that the event was “no different than the various other White House-hosted events on the South Lawn and properly permitted events on the Ellipse and National Mall throughout the year.”
UFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.
Crews are erecting an octagon-shaped cage on the South Lawn. Trump has said the finished UFC project will feature “a 5,000-seat arena right outside the front door of the White House.” Additional large screens broadcasting the fights will be set up in a park at the nearby Ellipse, and the UFC has said it plans to issue as many as 85,000 free tickets to accommodate spectators at both locations.
The octagon and surrounding structures are the latest project in the White House building boom Trump is leading.
Connecticut
Quinnipiac women’s rugby players sue school after program is dropped from varsity to club level
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Members of the Quinnipiac women’s rugby team on Friday filed a class-action lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Connecticut seeking the reinstatement of the program’s varsity status after the university announced last month that it would be dropped to the club level in 2026-27.
The lawsuit alleges the university made the move in violation of Title IX, the federal law that bans sex-based discrimination in education, and as retribution for the coach repeatedly raising concerns about the school’s unequal treatment of male and female athletes.
A Quinnipiac spokesperson said the university does not comment on litigation.
The school announced April 14 that a men’s indoor and outdoor distance program within the existing track program would be added and that women’s rugby would go from varsity to club status.
Quinnipiac was among 13 Division I women’s varsity teams in the 2025 season, most of them in the Northeast. Named as plaintiffs are 16 players who were on the 2025 roster and seven who planned to enroll as freshmen and play on the team this fall.
Named as defendants are the university trustees, president Marie Hardin and athletic director Greg Amodio.
The lawsuit alleged the rugby and other women’s teams do not receive the same support as men’s teams in areas such as facilities, equipment, travel, medical services and strength and conditioning, among others. Coach Becky Carlson repeatedly raised concerns about unequal treatment to the administration, the lawsuit said.
“QU’s retaliatory elimination of the women’s varsity rugby team also chills Plaintiffs, proposed class members, witnesses, and other students from raising, supporting, participating in, or pursuing Title IX complaints or this litigation,” the lawsuit said.
Texas
Man accused of using a fake boarding pass to get on a United flight to LA
A Texas man is accused of using a fake boarding pass to get on a United Airlines flight before he was found hiding in a restroom, forcing the plane back to the gate before it could take off at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, court documents say.
The 25-year-old Houston man was discovered on the plane bound for Los Angeles in mid-May as it was taxiing to a runway when a passenger alerted a flight attendant, according to authorities.
He was charged last week with impairing or interrupting operation of critical infrastructure facility. A message seeking comment was left with his attorney Monday.
Surveillance cameras showed the man first having trouble with his boarding pass at a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint when he arrived at the Houston airport early on May 18, according to a criminal complaint.
He was eventually screened at the checkpoint and then tried to board a different flight to LA, but he was turned away when he tried to scan his pass, the complaint said.
About two hours later, the man went to another gate and waited until United employees who were checking boarding passes became distracted, the court document said. He then pretended to show his pass, walked by the employees and boarded the plane, the complaint said.
TSA said in a statement that the man first presented a valid boarding pass and went through standard screening and did not have any prohibited items. It referred other questions to Houston police and United Airlines. United referred all questions to law enforcement.
Once onboard the flight, the man tried to find a seat before going into a bathroom and a passenger noticed and told a flight attendant, the complaint said. He gave the flight attendant a fake name and then it was discovered he was not a passenger on the flight, the court document said.
Everyone on the flight had to get off the plane while it was checked for explosives, delaying its departure by three hours, the complaint said.
A United employee later told authorities the man had made a reservation, but it was canceled because he did not pay for it, the court document said.
He did show Houston police a confirmation number on his phone and what looked like a boarding pass, but a United employee told authorities the pass was fake and could not have been obtained without payment, the complaint said.
Massachusetts
Judge halts Trump administration efforts to impose conditions on SNAP
BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge on Friday sided with 20 Democratic states and halted an effort by the Trump administration to force states to comply with a range of conditions to get billions of dollars from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
U.S. District Judge Myong Joun granted a preliminary injunction in the lawsuit challenging the conditions for getting SNAP funding. Among them are restrictions related to “gender ideology,” “immigration,” and “fair athletic opportunities” for women and girls.
The judge said he would issue a memorandum later explaining his decision.
In their lawsuit, the states argued the Agriculture Department has “thrown unconstitutional and unlawful roadblocks between the programs created by Congress and the States that rely on them, threatening critical nutrition support, vital agricultural research, and the safety of our national food chain and communities.”
Lawyers for the government opposed the preliminary injunction, arguing in their court filing that “these new requirements would help promote the sound stewardship of taxpayer dollars, strengthen USDA’s control and oversight of obligated funds, and ensure that grant recipients comply with federal laws, regulations, and policies.”
SNAP is a major part of the U.S. social safety net, helping about 39 million Americans, about 1 in 9, buy groceries. Beneficiaries decreased by nearly 4.3 million from January 2025 to January 2026, according to preliminary government data released by the Agriculture Department. Experts say new requirements mandated by a massive tax and spending cut bill Republicans pushed through Congress last summer are the primary reasons.
Jury awards $176M for wrongful deaths of young brothers struck by socialite’s car
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles jury has awarded $176 million to the parents of two young brothers killed in a hit-and-run collision when a California socialite’s car struck them in a crosswalk nearly six years ago.
The jury found both Rebecca Grossman and Scott Erickson, a former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher, negligent in the deaths of 11-year-old Mark Iskander and 8-year-old Jacob Iskander.
The damages awarded Wednesday were for wrongful death and emotional distress. The trial judge will ultimately determine how much each defendant has to pay.
Court resumed Friday as jurors must still decide whether to award punitive damages to the boys’ parents, Nancy and Karim Iskander.
Grossman was sentenced in 2024 to serve 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 is a co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation and the wife of a prominent burn doctor.
The boys’ parents also filed lawsuits in civil court against both Grossman and Erickson, who was driving ahead of her when the Iskander brothers were killed. That trial began in April.
The deadly crash occurred on the evening of Sept. 29, 2020, in Westlake Village, a city on the western edge of Los Angeles County.
Brian Panish, the Iskander family’s attorney, argued that Grossman and Erickson were both driving recklessly after drinking margaritas together. The two were dating at a time when Grossman and her husband were separated.
Panish said Grossman was driving 73 mph (117 kph) when her car struck the boys in a crosswalk on a road where the posted speed limit was 45 mph (72 kph).
He said Grossman was following Erickson, who was also speeding and narrowly missed the family.
“This was a totally preventable collision,” Panish told the jury in closing arguments Wednesday. “They went out for a walk, and they never came home.”
Grossman’s attorney, Esther Holm, denied that her client was intoxicated. She said Grossman was distracted when she saw the boys’ mother dive out of the way of Erickson’s vehicle.
“Ms. Grossman was not driving impaired,” Holm told the jury. “She did not see the children, as her attention was diverted by Ms. Iskander.”
Erickson’s attorney, Jeff Braun, called the boys’ deaths a tragedy but emphasized that the vehicle he was driving “made no contact with the children.”
New York
Lawsuit seeks to stop the UFC fight on the White House South Lawn
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal lawsuit seeks to halt the upcoming UFC fight card on the White House South Lawn in a mixed martial arts show timed for President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and part of the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The filing Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia residents contends the Trump administration’s authorization of the June 14 event was unlawful. The lawsuit says such approval violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands, Congress did not consent to the towering arch overlooking the event space and no environmental review was conducted before the construction.
“This is fundamentally a private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain,” said Brendan Ballou, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. “And that is what is motivating this lawsuit.”
The White House said in a statement that the legal challenge was “an obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory” attempt to prevent Trump from hosting the fight and that the event was “no different than the various other White House-hosted events on the South Lawn and properly permitted events on the Ellipse and National Mall throughout the year.”
UFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.
Crews are erecting an octagon-shaped cage on the South Lawn. Trump has said the finished UFC project will feature “a 5,000-seat arena right outside the front door of the White House.” Additional large screens broadcasting the fights will be set up in a park at the nearby Ellipse, and the UFC has said it plans to issue as many as 85,000 free tickets to accommodate spectators at both locations.
The octagon and surrounding structures are the latest project in the White House building boom Trump is leading.
Connecticut
Quinnipiac women’s rugby players sue school after program is dropped from varsity to club level
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Members of the Quinnipiac women’s rugby team on Friday filed a class-action lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Connecticut seeking the reinstatement of the program’s varsity status after the university announced last month that it would be dropped to the club level in 2026-27.
The lawsuit alleges the university made the move in violation of Title IX, the federal law that bans sex-based discrimination in education, and as retribution for the coach repeatedly raising concerns about the school’s unequal treatment of male and female athletes.
A Quinnipiac spokesperson said the university does not comment on litigation.
The school announced April 14 that a men’s indoor and outdoor distance program within the existing track program would be added and that women’s rugby would go from varsity to club status.
Quinnipiac was among 13 Division I women’s varsity teams in the 2025 season, most of them in the Northeast. Named as plaintiffs are 16 players who were on the 2025 roster and seven who planned to enroll as freshmen and play on the team this fall.
Named as defendants are the university trustees, president Marie Hardin and athletic director Greg Amodio.
The lawsuit alleged the rugby and other women’s teams do not receive the same support as men’s teams in areas such as facilities, equipment, travel, medical services and strength and conditioning, among others. Coach Becky Carlson repeatedly raised concerns about unequal treatment to the administration, the lawsuit said.
“QU’s retaliatory elimination of the women’s varsity rugby team also chills Plaintiffs, proposed class members, witnesses, and other students from raising, supporting, participating in, or pursuing Title IX complaints or this litigation,” the lawsuit said.
Texas
Man accused of using a fake boarding pass to get on a United flight to LA
A Texas man is accused of using a fake boarding pass to get on a United Airlines flight before he was found hiding in a restroom, forcing the plane back to the gate before it could take off at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, court documents say.
The 25-year-old Houston man was discovered on the plane bound for Los Angeles in mid-May as it was taxiing to a runway when a passenger alerted a flight attendant, according to authorities.
He was charged last week with impairing or interrupting operation of critical infrastructure facility. A message seeking comment was left with his attorney Monday.
Surveillance cameras showed the man first having trouble with his boarding pass at a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint when he arrived at the Houston airport early on May 18, according to a criminal complaint.
He was eventually screened at the checkpoint and then tried to board a different flight to LA, but he was turned away when he tried to scan his pass, the complaint said.
About two hours later, the man went to another gate and waited until United employees who were checking boarding passes became distracted, the court document said. He then pretended to show his pass, walked by the employees and boarded the plane, the complaint said.
TSA said in a statement that the man first presented a valid boarding pass and went through standard screening and did not have any prohibited items. It referred other questions to Houston police and United Airlines. United referred all questions to law enforcement.
Once onboard the flight, the man tried to find a seat before going into a bathroom and a passenger noticed and told a flight attendant, the complaint said. He gave the flight attendant a fake name and then it was discovered he was not a passenger on the flight, the court document said.
Everyone on the flight had to get off the plane while it was checked for explosives, delaying its departure by three hours, the complaint said.
A United employee later told authorities the man had made a reservation, but it was canceled because he did not pay for it, the court document said.
He did show Houston police a confirmation number on his phone and what looked like a boarding pass, but a United employee told authorities the pass was fake and could not have been obtained without payment, the complaint said.
Massachusetts
Judge halts Trump administration efforts to impose conditions on SNAP
BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge on Friday sided with 20 Democratic states and halted an effort by the Trump administration to force states to comply with a range of conditions to get billions of dollars from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
U.S. District Judge Myong Joun granted a preliminary injunction in the lawsuit challenging the conditions for getting SNAP funding. Among them are restrictions related to “gender ideology,” “immigration,” and “fair athletic opportunities” for women and girls.
The judge said he would issue a memorandum later explaining his decision.
In their lawsuit, the states argued the Agriculture Department has “thrown unconstitutional and unlawful roadblocks between the programs created by Congress and the States that rely on them, threatening critical nutrition support, vital agricultural research, and the safety of our national food chain and communities.”
Lawyers for the government opposed the preliminary injunction, arguing in their court filing that “these new requirements would help promote the sound stewardship of taxpayer dollars, strengthen USDA’s control and oversight of obligated funds, and ensure that grant recipients comply with federal laws, regulations, and policies.”
SNAP is a major part of the U.S. social safety net, helping about 39 million Americans, about 1 in 9, buy groceries. Beneficiaries decreased by nearly 4.3 million from January 2025 to January 2026, according to preliminary government data released by the Agriculture Department. Experts say new requirements mandated by a massive tax and spending cut bill Republicans pushed through Congress last summer are the primary reasons.
