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Angels Settle Lawsuit with Family of Tyler Skaggs Over His Fatal Drug Overdose
NEED TO KNOW
- The family of Tyler Skaggs and the Los Angeles Angeles have reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed against the organization by Skaggs’ family
- The late MLB baseball player died in 2019 of an overdose after being provided drugs by Eric Kay, a team employee who was later sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for his role in Skaggs’ death
- In a statement, Skaggs’ family said the settlement “brings to a close a difficult six-year process”
The family of Tyler Skaggs has settled a lawsuit with the Los Angeles Angeles after the pro baseball player died from a drug overdose in 2019.
His family filed the civil suit in June 2021 after the pitcher died of a fentanyl and oxycodone overdose in Texas on July 1, 2019.
Two of the organization’s employees were also named as the family claimed Angels communications director Eric Kay supplied the illicit substances, and former Angels vice president of communications Tim Mead was or should have been aware of Kay’s alleged drug use and distribution of drugs to players on the team.
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“The death of Tyler Skaggs remains a tragedy, and this trial sheds light on the dangers of opioid use and the devastating effects it can have,” a spokesperson for the Anaheim, Calif.-based Major League Baseball team said in a statement shared with PEOPLE on Friday, Dec. 19.
“Throughout the course of court proceedings, both parties searched for a path to a mutually agreed upon resolution and a confidential settlement has been reached,” the statement concluded.
PEOPLE reached out to Rusty Hardin, the attorney representing the Skaggs family, for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
“The Skaggs family has reached a confidential settlement with Angels Baseball that brings to a close a difficult six-year process, allowing our families to focus on healing,” the family said in a statement provided to ESPN.
“We are deeply grateful to the members of this jury, and to our legal team. Their engagement and focus gave us faith, and now we have finality. This trial exposed the truth and we hope Major League Baseball will now do its part in holding the Angels accountable. While nothing can bring Tyler back, we will continue to honor his memory.”
The late athlete’s family was seeking $118 million in potential lost earnings plus added damages, but the exact terms of the settlement have not been made public, according to the outlet.
At the time of his death, the Angels were scheduled to play the Texas Rangers in Arlington in the first game of a four-game series. The game was postponed following Skaggs’ death.
“It is with great sorrow that we report Tyler Skaggs passed away earlier today in Texas,” the Angels wrote in a post to its official X account. “Tyler has, and always will be, an important part of the Angels family. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Carli and his entire family during this devastating time.”
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On the one-year anniversary of his death, Skaggs’ mother, Debbie Hetman, and his widow Carli spoke out in their first on-camera interview distributed through TMX.news.
“I’m sad all the time. Less numb, but sad, heartbroken that I don’t have my son here,” Hetman said. “It’s not gonna be the anniversary I look forward to ever.”
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Mead left the Angeles before Skaggs’ death to become president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but later resigned from that position in April 2021.
In October 2022, Kay was sentenced to 22 years for his involvement in Skaggs’ fatal overdose.