Los Angeles Angels a lawsuit over the drug overdose death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs was settled Friday.
The settlement came after a two-month civil trial in Southern California over whether the Angels should be held liable for Skaggs' 2019 death after he snorted a fentanyl pill provided by team communications director Eric Kay.
Skaggs' widow Carly and his parents filed a lawsuit claiming Major League Baseball The team knew or should have known that Kay was a drug addict and sold painkillers to players. The settlement is confidential and ends a painful six-year process, Skaggs' family said in a statement.
“We are deeply grateful to the jury and our legal team,” the family said in a statement. “Their participation and attention gave us confidence, and now we have a final result. This trial has revealed the truth, and we hope that the Major League Baseball will now do his part to bring the Angels to justice. Although nothing can bring Tyler back, we will continue to honor his memory.”
The team argued that officials did not know Skaggs was using drugs and would have sought his help if they had known. The team is expected to make a statement later Friday.
The jury began deliberating earlier this week.
Orange County Superior Court Judge H. Shayna Colover thanked the jury for their diligence. “That’s why this matter was resolved today,” she said before dismissing them.
Six years ago, the 27-year-old left-handed pitcher was found dead in the suburban Dallas hotel room where he was staying when the Angels were scheduled to open a four-game series against the Texas Rangers. The coroner's report said the player choked to death from vomit and had a toxic mixture of alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone in his system.
Kay, a longtime Angels employee, was convicted in 2022 of providing Skaggs with a counterfeit oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl and sentenced to 22 years in prison. His criminal trial in Texas included testimony from five MLB players who said they received oxycodone from Kay at various times from 2017 to 2019.
In California, MLB players including outfielder Mike Trout, Angels president John Carpino and relatives of Skaggs and Kay testified during the trial in a Santa Ana courtroom. Plaintiffs' witnesses described Kay acting erratically at the stadium and finding several plastic bags of pills in his home before being hospitalized for a drug overdose. They also described how Kay arranged massages, tee times and even prescription drugs for players, with players paying him for tricks such as hitting fastballs in the leg.
The Angels' attorneys noted that Skaggs became addicted to painkillers before signing with the Angels in 2013. They said Skaggs forced his teammates to take the pills and forced Kay to provide them with them, but kept it secret out of fear that it could jeopardize their MLB careers. If team officials had known Kay was dealing drugs or Skaggs was using them, they would have done something, attorneys say.
During the case, witnesses also argued about how much money Skaggs would have made as a pitcher if he had lived. The plaintiffs' experts said he could have received between $91 million and $101 million, while the Angels put the figure at no more than $32 million.
Skaggs has been a fixture in the Angels' starting rotation since late 2016 and has battled injuries numerous times during that time. He previously played for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Following Skaggs' death, MLB reached an agreement with the players' association to begin testing for opioids and referring those who test positive to a treatment panel.
Before the judge announced the settlement Friday, the jury remained behind closed doors after attorneys for both sides went to speak with Colover.
Late Wednesday, jurors sent out a note asking if they could “determine the amount of punitive damages,” saying there was no space to do so on the verdict form. The judge said she would file a brief replying that if they decide there should be punitive damages, they will decide how much at a later date.
The jury sat out Thursday and resumed deliberations Friday morning.
