Tyler Skaggs’ Family Seeks Justice in Wrongful Death Civil Trial Against Angels
The family of late Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs is set to face off against the team in a civil trial, seeking damages of at least $210 million in a wrongful death lawsuit. The trial, which is expected to last several weeks, will begin with jury selection on Monday in Orange County Superior Court. Skaggs’ widow, Carli Skaggs, and his parents, Debra Hetman and Darrell Skaggs, claim that the Angels were responsible for the 27-year-old pitcher’s death on July 1, 2019, after he ingested crushed pills containing fentanyl in a hotel room during a team road trip in Texas.
An autopsy revealed that Skaggs died of asphyxia after aspirating his own vomit while under the influence of fentanyl, oxycodone, and alcohol. The Angels’ communications director, Eric Kay, provided Skaggs with counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl and is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence for his role in Skaggs’ death. The Skaggs family’s lawyers will attempt to prove that other Angels employees were aware that Kay was supplying opioids to Skaggs.
Allegations of Negligence and Liability
The lawsuit alleges that the Angels breached their duty to provide a safe work environment for Skaggs, allowing Kay to have complete access to the pitcher and provide him with dangerous illegal drugs. The family’s lawyers will call numerous current and former Angels players as witnesses, including Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, to demonstrate that Skaggs was a fully functioning major league pitcher and not an addict. The Angels, on the other hand, will attempt to show that Skaggs had a long history of drug use and acquired pills from sources other than Kay.
Pretrial filings and hearings have revealed that the Angels were aware of Kay’s own struggles with addiction, with team physician Craig Milhouse prescribing him Hydrocodone 15 times between 2009 and 2012. The Skaggs family also plans to present evidence that Trout offered to pay for Kay’s drug rehabilitation in 2018. The trial will provide a rare glimpse into the culture of a major league clubhouse, with testimony from Angels players and support personnel expected to shed light on the team’s knowledge of Kay’s activities.
MLB’s Response to the Crisis
Skaggs’ death prompted Major League Baseball (MLB) to implement changes to its drug testing policies, including the addition of opioids and cocaine to the list of banned substances in 2020. However, players who do not cooperate with their treatment plans are the only ones subject to discipline. MLB has also taken steps to address the opioid crisis, including the storage of naloxone, an antidote for opioid poisoning, in clubhouses, weight rooms, dugouts, and umpire dressing rooms at all ballparks.
The trial is expected to be closely watched, with the outcome potentially having significant implications for the sports industry and the way teams handle player wellness and safety. As the Skaggs family seeks justice and accountability, the trial will serve as a reminder of the importance of prioritizing player health and the need for teams to take a proactive approach to addressing the risks associated with substance abuse.
For more information on the trial and the events surrounding Tyler Skaggs’ death, visit Here
Image Source: www.latimes.com
