The Los Angeles Angels have reached a confidential settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of late pitcher Tyler Skaggs, bringing an end to a six-year legal battle that exposed negligence and drug abuse within professional baseball. The settlement was announced on Friday after a two-month civil trial in Santa Ana, California, where jurors were deliberating damages following extensive testimony about the team’s role in Skaggs’ 2019 overdose death.
Tyler Skaggs, a 27-year-old left-handed pitcher, was found dead in a suburban Dallas hotel room in July 2019 while the Angels were on a road trip to face the Texas Rangers. A coroner’s report concluded that he choked on his vomit after ingesting a lethal mix of alcohol, fentanyl, and oxycodone. The lawsuit alleged that the Angels knew or should have known that communications director Eric Kay was a drug addict who supplied players with painkillers, including Skaggs.
During the trial, evidence revealed that Kay provided Skaggs with a counterfeit oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl, leading to his death. Kay was convicted in 2022 for distributing the drugs and sentenced to 22 years in prison. Testimony from five MLB players indicated that Kay had been supplying opioids to athletes for years, underscoring a pervasive issue in the sport. The Skaggs family, including his widow Carli and parents, argued that the team failed in its duty to monitor employees and protect players from harm.
Witnesses described Kay’s erratic behavior at the stadium, his possession of multiple bags of pills, and a prior hospitalization for a drug overdose. They also recounted how Kay facilitated player perks like massage appointments and tee times, and was even paid by players for stunts. The family’s legal team contended that the Angels ignored red flags and violated MLB policies, seeking damages for loss of companionship and future earnings, with estimates ranging from $91 million to $101 million.
The Angels’ defense maintained that team officials were unaware of Skaggs’ drug use and would have sought help if they had known. They pointed to Skaggs’ pre-existing addiction to painkillers before joining the team and his efforts to conceal it from management. In a statement, the team expressed sorrow over the tragedy and highlighted the dangers of opioid abuse, but denied direct responsibility for Skaggs’ death.
The settlement was reached just as jurors were preparing to decide on punitive damages, following a note from the jury inquiring about the amount. Orange County Superior Court Judge H. Shaina Colover thanked the jurors for their diligence, noting that their engagement helped facilitate the resolution. The confidential agreement avoids a protracted appeals process and provides the Skaggs family with a measure of closure after years of litigation.
In the aftermath of Skaggs’ death, MLB has implemented new drug testing protocols, including screening for opioids and referring positive cases to a treatment board. The family’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, welcomed the settlement but emphasized that teams like the Angels need to enforce stricter safeguards to prevent similar incidents. The Skaggs family expressed gratitude to the jury and their legal team, hoping that the trial’s exposure of the truth will prompt accountability within baseball.
This settlement concludes a painful chapter for both the Skaggs family and the Angels, highlighting the complex challenges sports organizations face in addressing substance abuse among athletes. It serves as a stark reminder of the devastating impact of opioids and the importance of vigilance in high-stakes environments, with implications for player welfare policies across professional sports.
