A wrongful death lawsuit was filed against the Los Angeles Angels in connection with pitcher Tyler Skaggs’ death in 2019.[1] Skaggs died after he was provided a fentanyl-laced pill by Angels employee Eric Kay. Kay was in the hotel room the night before Skaggs overdosed on alcohol and opioids.[2] The two main plaintiffs in this case are Skaggs’ mother and widow.[3]
The case has been ongoing for about six weeks, and the focus has been on “the team’s handling of Kay’s drug addiction treatment and whether officials did enough to protect Skaggs as Kay’s behavior became increasingly strange, causing Kay’s wife and some Angels employees to raise questions of drug abuse.” [4] Last week, the team doctor for the Angels testified that, before learning how addictive they were, he prescribed Kay over 600 opioid pills over the course of several years.[5]
Skaggs’ mother testified on Monday that she “didn’t know whether her son ever informed the team about his drug addiction, but the organization never asked her any questions about him.”[6] The Angels have maintained the position that they were unaware of Skaggs’ drug problems, and that they are not responsible for his death in 2019.[7] Skaggs’ mother claims that if the team had asked, she “would have told the Angels he became addicted to Percocet after the 2013 season”. [8]
Most recently, there has been contradictory testimony by current and former employees and representatives of the Angels, which draws speculation as to what they knew about Kay, and whether any concerns were raised with his behavior or drug use. [9] The Angels vice president of human resources testified that the Angels worked with the MLB to get Kay help for his drug addiction, which suggests the Angels were aware of the issue.[10]
The Skaggs family is seeking $118 million in estimated lost wages and punitive damages against the Angels.[11]
[1] Rothstein, Michael, Testimony in Skaggs family lawsuit puts Angels on the defensive, ESPN (Nov. 16, 2025)
[2] Id.
[3] Rothstein, Skaggs’ mom: Knew about son’s addiction; wasn’t asked by Angels, ESPN (Nov. 17. 2025)
[4] Rothstein, supra note 1.
[5] Id.
[6] Rothstein, supra note 3.
[7] Id.
[8] Id.
[9] Rothstein, supra note 1.
[10] Id.
[11] Id.
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