12/15/25 01:50:00
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12/15 13:48 CST Closing arguments underway in trial over Angels pitcher Tyler
Skaggs' drug overdose death
Closing arguments underway in trial over Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs' drug
overdose death
By AMY TAXIN
Associated Press
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) --- Closing arguments began Monday in a trial over
whether the Los Angeles Angels should be held responsible for the fatal drug
overdose of pitcher Tyler Skaggs after a team employee gave him the
fentanyl-laced pill that led to his death.
The long-running civil trial in a Southern California courtroom has included
testimony from Angels outfielder Mike Trout and the team's president, John
Carpino, as well as Skaggs' widow, Carli, and his parents.
The trial comes six years after Skaggs died on a team trip to Texas after
taking drugs provided by team communications director Eric Kay. Skaggs' family
filed a wrongful death lawsuit contending the MLB team knew or should have
known Kay was addicted to drugs and dealing to players. At the same time,
Angels' lawyers have said club officials didn't realize Skaggs took drugs, and
any activity involving Skaggs and Kay happened on their own time and in the
privacy of the player's hotel room.
Skaggs, a 27-year-old left-handed pitcher, was found dead in the suburban
Dallas hotel room where he was staying as the Angels were supposed to open a
four-game series against the Texas Rangers in 2019. A coroner's report said the
player choked to death on his vomit, and a toxic mix of alcohol, fentanyl and
oxycodone was found in his system.
Kay was convicted in 2022 of providing Skaggs with a counterfeit oxycodone pill
laced with fentanyl and sentenced to 22 years in prison. His federal criminal
trial in Texas included testimony from five MLB players who said they received
oxycodone from Kay at various times from 2017 to 2019, the years he was accused
of obtaining pills and giving them to Angels players.
During the civil trial that began in October, witnesses have described Kay's
erratic behavior at the stadium and incidents that led to his attending rehab
before he headed out on the trip to Texas with the team. Kay's now-ex-wife,
Camela Kay, told jurors the Angels failed her then-husband, who worked lengthy
hours, and that during his 2019 hospitalization for a drug overdose, she heard
he had pills intended for Skaggs.
Last week, Carpino took the stand and said he wished he had known sooner about
the drug use by both Skaggs and Kay.
Skaggs had been a regular in the Angels' starting rotation since late 2016 and
struggled with injuries repeatedly during that time. He previously played for
the Arizona Diamondbacks.
After Skaggs' death, the MLB reached a deal with the players association to
start testing for opioids and to refer those who test positive to the treatment
board.
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