Angels Reach Confidential Settlement in Tyler Skaggs wrongful-death case
Settlement ends a two-month trial as jurors weighed whether the team shared responsibility for Skaggs’ 2019 death linked to fentanyl-laced pills; terms not disclosed.
Los Angeles Angels and the family of Tyler Skaggs reached a confidential settlement Friday in their wrongful-death lawsuit, ending a closely watched trial as jurors prepared to decide damages. The agreement came as Orange County Superior Court jurors were nearing the end of two months of testimony and deliberations about whether team officials bore responsibility for Skaggs’ 2019 overdose death.
Skaggs, a left-handed pitcher who died July 1, 2019, in a Southlake, Texas hotel room before the Angels opened a four-game series against the Rangers, choked on his vomit after ingesting a fentanyl-laced oxycodone pill. The pill was supplied by Eric Kay, the Angels’ former communications director, who was later convicted in Texas of providing the drug and sentenced to 22 years in prison. Skaggs’ family had sought about $118 million in lost earnings, pain and suffering and punitive damages against the team. The Angels contended that Skaggs took the drugs in his private life and that the team did not cause his death.
During the California civil case, more than 40 witnesses testified about drug use and team culture, including how Kay allegedly supplied prescription pills to players and how some teammates paid him for stunts and perks on the team plane and at clubhouses. The trial also featured testimony from Mike Trout, the Angels’ best-known player, who described interactions with Kay and said players sometimes paid Kay for 'stunts' he arranged. Trout said he had seen Skaggs smoke marijuana and drink, but did not know about any other drug use. Other players, including Matt Harvey, C.J. Cron and Mike Morin, testified they had received drugs from Kay at various times. The defense argued that while Kay’s actions were illegal, there was no evidence that team leadership knew or condoned the distribution of drugs, and that Skaggs bore responsibility for his own choices. The coroner’s report cited fentanyl and oxycodone in Skaggs’ system and the circumstances of his death on the Texas trip.
Prosecutors and plaintiffs described a clubhouse atmosphere that included on-field party culture and a willingness to pay Kay for private perks. The defense maintained that the Angels would have helped Skaggs if they had known of his drug use, and that any negligence was not proven to have caused the death.
Late in the proceedings, jurors had already concluded the Angels were negligent and began deliberating what percentage of responsibility should rest with the team, Kay and Skaggs. Juror Jasson Thach said the panel saw repeated negligence by the Angels and that the damages estimate ranged from $60 million to $100 million before the settlement. The settlement ended the trial as deliberations appeared close to a verdict on liability and damages.
Carli Skaggs, Tyler Skaggs’ widow, and his mother, Debbie Hetman, testified that the family believed the Angels could and should have done more to address Kay’s conduct and the team’s environment. They argued the club knew or should have known Kay was a drug dealer and supplier to players. The Angels responded that officials would have intervened if they had known of the problem and that the death remains a tragedy that underscores the risks of opioid use.
Judge H. Shaina Colover thanked the jurors for their service and noted that the settlement would bring some finality to the case. After weeks of testimony and months of pretrial, the case closes with the team avoiding a trial verdict that could have assigned a significant portion of fault to the organization. The agreement leaves unresolved the precise amount of damages or how responsibility would have been split among the parties, which remains confidential.
Beyond the Skaggs case, observers say the proceedings have focused attention on drug use and treatment in professional sports and may spur scrutiny of MLB’s handling of clubhouse issues. As the family’s suit concludes, questions remain about the league’s oversight of teams’ internal policies and the steps clubs take to address substance abuse and prescription-drug distributions in the workplace.
