A judge in Van Nuys ruled Friday that Rebecca Grossman, who was convicted of murdering two boys while speeding through a crosswalk in Westlake Village, may keep her new defense lawyer, who is also defending a senior prosecutor who previously supervised Grossman's murder trial.
"I don't believe that these interests ... are directly adverse to each other," LA Superior Court Judge Joseph Brandolino said of the defense attorney, James Spertus, representing both clients simultaneously.
"So I'm not finding an actual conflict," the judge said.
Grossman was convicted in February of murder and vehicular manslaughter for killing Mark and Jacob Iskander, 11 and 8 years old. The young boys were struck by her car while crossing a street in September 2020.
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The boys' parents, Nancy and Karim Iskander, who attended Friday's hearing, told the I-Team earlier this week that they were angered the LA County District Attorney's Office had removed the two trial prosecutors from the case in an apparent effort to address the same potential conflict of interest issues.
Those prosecutors, Jamie Castro and Ryan Gould, were returned to the case earlier this week and attended Friday's hearing, although they did not address the judge.
Rebecca Grossman murder trial
Spertus said outside court that he hoped the ruling put an end to questions about his representation so the court could focus on the more critical issues of sentencing and his request for a new trial.
"I think the court affirmed that it's important that Ms. Grossman understand that I represent somebody who formerly was involved in her case," Spertus said.
"We didn't oppose the hearing, but the people then seized the opportunity to get into this fantastical narrative about possible ethical violations that could exist, and that was, just to be candid, silliness," he said.
Spertus said he filed a motion for a new trial in Grossman's case before he agreed to represent Assistant District Attorney Diana Teran, who was charged by the state attorney general last month with 11 felony counts for allegedly misusing confidential law enforcement files.
"I didn't represent Ms. Teran at the time," he said.
Teran, through Spertus, has denied wrongdoing.
Grossman is jailed and awaiting sentencing in early June, when Spertus said he will argue his motion for a new trial.
Prosecutors also told the judge Friday they were continuing to investigate allegations that Grossman, while in custody following the verdict, had made efforts to contact witnesses and jurors.
