The Los Angeles Angels should be held responsible for the drug overdose death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs because the team failed to enforce its own drug policies and allowed an addicted employee to remain in contact with players, a lawyer for Skaggs' family said on Tuesday.
During opening statements in a civil wrongful death trial, plaintiffs' attorney Shawn Holley told jurors that Angels officials knew communications director Eric Kay was addicted to opioids and supplying drugs to at least six players, including Skaggs. Holley said the team repeatedly ignored its drug policies regarding Kay, even sending him on a team trip to Texas shortly after he completed rehab, while enforcing the rules for lower-level staff.
Kay was convicted in 2022 of providing Skaggs with a fentanyl-laced oxycodone pill and sentenced to 22 years in prison. Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room in suburban Dallas in July 2019, where the Angels were scheduled to play the Texas Rangers. A coroner's report found a toxic mix of alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone in his system, and he choked on his vomit.
Angels lawyers argue that Skaggs was off duty and his private actions could not have been prevented by the team. They also note that Skaggs had been drinking and taking oxycodone. The civil case, seeking hundreds of millions of dollars, is expected to last weeks and may include testimony from players such as Mike Trout and Wade Miley.
