The Los Angeles Angels have ended a closely watched courtroom battle over the death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs, cutting a deal with his family just as a California jury appeared to be weighing punishment for the team. A federal judge announced Friday that the parties reached a settlement in the wrongful death lawsuit, halting deliberations before jurors could issue a verdict, the New York Times reports. Financial terms were not disclosed. Skaggs' family was seeking $118 million for lost earnings and additional damages, per ESPN.
The agreement closes a nearly three-month civil trial that threatened to make the Angels the first US pro sports franchise found civilly responsible for a player's death. Skaggs, 27, died in a Texas hotel room on July 1, 2019, after taking a pill laced with fentanyl that had been supplied by Eric Kay, the team's former communications director. Kay is serving a 22-year federal prison sentence in connection with Skaggs' death. On Wednesday, jurors sent a note to the judge asking whether they could set an amount for punitive damages—the extra sum Skaggs' family had requested to penalize the Angels for their conduct. Settlement talks intensified soon after, per the Times.
Throughout the trial, Skaggs' attorneys argued the team knew for years that Kay struggled with opioid addiction and failed to follow its own policies, as well as Major League Baseball's, in handling the issue. The Angels countered that they acted appropriately and portrayed Skaggs as a user and dealer of drugs who bore responsibility for his own "reckless" behavior. The proceedings were combative, with each side accusing the other of misconduct and witnesses facing frequent objections. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has said the league will review testimony from the case, leaving open the possibility of league action stemming from court revelations.
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