Los Angeles Angels Reach Settlement with Family of Deceased Pitcher

The Los Angeles Angels have reached a confidential settlement with the family of late pitcher Tyler Skaggs following a protracted trial that highlighted the issue of drug use among players. This settlement was finalized on Friday, just as jurors were nearing the conclusion of their deliberations.

The two-month trial focused on whether the Angels were responsible for Skaggs’ tragic overdose death in 2019 during a team trip to Texas. Skaggs had ingested a counterfeit oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl, which was provided by the team’s former communications director, Eric Kay. Jurors had already determined that the Angels were negligent and were in the process of assessing the percentage of responsibility the team bore for Skaggs’ death, according to juror Jasson Thach.

“The repeated negligence of the Angels was really it,” Thach remarked, noting that the jury had been estimating damages between $60 million and $100 million.

The trial featured testimony from notable figures, including outfielder Mike Trout and Angels president John Carpino, along with team employees and family members of both Skaggs and Kay. Witnesses recounted instances of players drinking and partying on team flights, as well as paying Kay for various clubhouse antics, such as taking a fastball to the leg.

In their lawsuit, Skaggs’ widow, Carli, and his parents argued that the MLB team was aware or should have been aware of Kay’s drug addiction and his dealings in painkillers with players.

“Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of their lives after six years of living with this,” stated Rusty Hardin, an attorney for the plaintiffs, to reporters.

The Angels maintained that if team officials had known about Skaggs’ drug use, they would have intervened to help him. “The death of Tyler Skaggs remains a tragedy, and this trial sheds light on the dangers of opioid use and the devastating effects it can have,” the team expressed in a statement on Friday.

Related: Lawyers Clash Over Angels’ Alleged Role in Skaggs’ Overdose Death

In 2019, the 27-year-old left-handed pitcher was found dead in a hotel room in suburban Dallas, where he was staying ahead of a four-game series against the Texas Rangers. A coroner’s report indicated that Skaggs choked on his vomit, with a toxic combination of alcohol, fentanyl, and oxycodone present in his system.

Kay, a long-time employee of the Angels, was convicted in 2022 for providing Skaggs with the fentanyl-laced pill and was sentenced to 22 years in prison. His criminal trial included testimony from five MLB players who admitted to receiving oxycodone from Kay between 2017 and 2019.

During the civil trial in California, over 40 witnesses testified about drug use in baseball, including discussions about Skaggs’ potential earnings had he survived. They revealed how Kay arranged massage appointments, golf tee times, and even prescription medications for players, and described finding plastic bags filled with pills at his home. Kay had returned to work shortly after completing rehab when he was sent on the Texas road trip.

Witnesses also noted that Skaggs had struggled with painkillers earlier in his career and was found to have chopped up and snorted a pill at the time of his death.

Skaggs had been a consistent member of the Angels’ starting rotation since late 2016, despite facing recurring injuries. He had previously played for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

As jurors began deliberations this week, they posed a question regarding the assignment of punitive damages. After a brief pause in their work, they resumed deliberations on Friday morning.

Upon releasing the jurors, Orange County Superior Court Judge H. Shaina Colover expressed gratitude for their commitment, stating, “That is why this matter was able to be resolved today.”

Several jurors indicated that they were approaching a challenging task—determining the percentages of responsibility among Skaggs, Kay, and the team. According to Thach, about a third of the jurors leaned towards the plaintiffs, another third sided with the team, and the remaining third were undecided.

Juror Deborah Song expressed relief that the case settled, stating, “I am so happy because that way I don’t have to put a number on somebody’s life.”

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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The Los Angeles Angels have reached a confidential settlement with the family of late pitcher Tyler Skaggs following a protracted trial that highlighted the issue of drug use among players. This settlement was finalized on Friday, just as jurors were nearing the conclusion of their deliberations.

The two-month trial focused on whether the Angels were responsible for Skaggs’ tragic overdose death in 2019 during a team trip to Texas. Skaggs had ingested a counterfeit oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl, which was provided by the team’s former communications director, Eric Kay. Jurors had already determined that the Angels were negligent and were in the process of assessing the percentage of responsibility the team bore for Skaggs’ death, according to juror Jasson Thach.

“The repeated negligence of the Angels was really it,” Thach remarked, noting that the jury had been estimating damages between $60 million and $100 million.

The trial featured testimony from notable figures, including outfielder Mike Trout and Angels president John Carpino, along with team employees and family members of both Skaggs and Kay. Witnesses recounted instances of players drinking and partying on team flights, as well as paying Kay for various clubhouse antics, such as taking a fastball to the leg.

In their lawsuit, Skaggs’ widow, Carli, and his parents argued that the MLB team was aware or should have been aware of Kay’s drug addiction and his dealings in painkillers with players.

“Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of their lives after six years of living with this,” stated Rusty Hardin, an attorney for the plaintiffs, to reporters.

The Angels maintained that if team officials had known about Skaggs’ drug use, they would have intervened to help him. “The death of Tyler Skaggs remains a tragedy, and this trial sheds light on the dangers of opioid use and the devastating effects it can have,” the team expressed in a statement on Friday.

Related: Lawyers Clash Over Angels’ Alleged Role in Skaggs’ Overdose Death

In 2019, the 27-year-old left-handed pitcher was found dead in a hotel room in suburban Dallas, where he was staying ahead of a four-game series against the Texas Rangers. A coroner’s report indicated that Skaggs choked on his vomit, with a toxic combination of alcohol, fentanyl, and oxycodone present in his system.

Kay, a long-time employee of the Angels, was convicted in 2022 for providing Skaggs with the fentanyl-laced pill and was sentenced to 22 years in prison. His criminal trial included testimony from five MLB players who admitted to receiving oxycodone from Kay between 2017 and 2019.

During the civil trial in California, over 40 witnesses testified about drug use in baseball, including discussions about Skaggs’ potential earnings had he survived. They revealed how Kay arranged massage appointments, golf tee times, and even prescription medications for players, and described finding plastic bags filled with pills at his home. Kay had returned to work shortly after completing rehab when he was sent on the Texas road trip.

Witnesses also noted that Skaggs had struggled with painkillers earlier in his career and was found to have chopped up and snorted a pill at the time of his death.

Skaggs had been a consistent member of the Angels’ starting rotation since late 2016, despite facing recurring injuries. He had previously played for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

As jurors began deliberations this week, they posed a question regarding the assignment of punitive damages. After a brief pause in their work, they resumed deliberations on Friday morning.

Upon releasing the jurors, Orange County Superior Court Judge H. Shaina Colover expressed gratitude for their commitment, stating, “That is why this matter was able to be resolved today.”

Several jurors indicated that they were approaching a challenging task—determining the percentages of responsibility among Skaggs, Kay, and the team. According to Thach, about a third of the jurors leaned towards the plaintiffs, another third sided with the team, and the remaining third were undecided.

Juror Deborah Song expressed relief that the case settled, stating, “I am so happy because that way I don’t have to put a number on somebody’s life.”

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Topics
Lawsuits