After four years of legal back and forth, the Los Angeles Angels will face trial Monday for the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of pitcher Tyler Skaggs. The 27-year-old had been found dead in his hotel room at the Southlake Town Square Hilton. Skaggs died from a fentanyl overdose while on a team road trip to Texas. Now his family is looking for $210 million in damages. They are arguing that the Angels knew or should have known that the former communications director, Eric Kay, who is now imprisoned, was supplying Skaggs with pills.
Athletic just reported that several court filings have brought about explosive claims. In a recent deposition, a former clubhouse attendant testified that Mike Trout offered to pay for Kay’s rehabilitation back in 2018. Other filings also include testimony of several Angels employees about Kay’s behavior inside the clubhouse.
At the center of the storm is a big question—can an MLB team be held responsible for the death of one of its players?
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“The Angels’ side will try to re-litigate the case against Kay, and thrust full responsibility for Skaggs’ death onto Skaggs himself,” reports The Athletic. Now, attorneys for the team mentioned the past struggles he had with Percocet. They pointed to others, like Matt Harvey and close friend Christopher Leanos, as possibly being the suppliers. Team officials will also apparently argue that Kay had rights as an employee, having completed rehab and been cleared to work before Skaggs’s passing.
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Meanwhile, Skaggs’ attorneys will apparently put forth the issue of club culture. They are going to argue that the culture of the organization allowed Kay’s substance use to go largely unchecked. They will highlight the text messages and testimony from Kay’s mother and wife, both of whom said they raised concerns with Angels officials before Skaggs’s death. Evidence also shows that Kay had been prescribed opioids years before by a team physician.
Trout will most likely be called to testify, and Athletic mentioned, “​​Trout will almost certainly be called as a witness.” His name was brought up in recent deposition testimony filed by the Skaggs family, though his actual deposition—taken in January—has yet to be released.” And as far as Mike Trout and Skaggs’ closeness, well, after the tragedy, Trout was seen embracing his teammate’s mother, Debbie Hetman, during a 2019 game where all Angels wore #45 in Skaggs’ honor.
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Who is Eric Kay? A Look at the former Angels communications director
Eric Kay was once a behind-the-scenes figure for the Los Angeles Angels—the team’s communications director. He became the central name in the 2019 death of Tyler Skaggs. Following this high-profile case, Kay was convicted of substance distribution. He was sentenced in October 2022 to 22 years in prison.
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His conviction shook not just the Angels but also cast a bad spotlight on the substance use in MLB. It has also sparked a broader conversation about the policies and athlete welfare across the sport. Now it remains to be seen if Kay will testify in the ongoing civil trial. At his criminal trial, he chose not to take the stand. The Angels are funding his legal defense. Now, other Angels executives are expected to testify. Like John Carpino and Molly Jolly, they are most likely to be called. However, it seems like Angels owner Arte Moreno will not take the stand.
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Is a settlement possible between the Angels and Tyler Skaggs’ family?
No Major League Baseball team has ever been held responsible for the death of a player. That said, there are instances in other sports where organizations have faced accountability when an athlete died under their supervision. For example, the family of former University of Maryland football player Jordan McNair received a $3.5 million settlement after he tragically collapsed and died from heat-related complications during a team workout in May 2018. With that being said, while this trial is in motion to move forward, there is still a possibility that the Angels and the Skaggs could settle.
Historically, the majority of the civil cases never make it to the jury. Most are resolved through negotiations or arbitration. That said, there are no signs that either side is looking to settle the case. Relations between the two parties have been tense. But even with this tension, it is possible that a resolution could occur during the trial itself. This could bring the proceedings to a close without a jury verdict. For now, the case will continue.
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No MLB team has ever been held responsible for the death of a player yet. That said, there have been instances in other sports where the organizations have faced accountability when an athlete died under their supervision. For example, the family of former University of Maryland football player Jordan McNair got a $3.5 million settlement. This was after he collapsed and died due to heat-related complications during the team workout.