Tyler Skaggs' wrongful death trial against Angels delayed until September

Sean Emery, The Orange County Register on Jan 16, 2025

Published in Baseball

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A jury trial in the high-profile wrongful death lawsuit brought by Tyler Skaggs’ family against the Angels has been delayed until the fall, as a contentious legal clash between attorneys about potential evidence continues.

An Orange County (Calif.) Superior Court judge late last week agreed to push the start of the civil trial from April 7 to Sept. 22, court records show, in the midst of often-contentious trial preparation among attorneys.

Attorneys for the Skaggs family told the judge they wanted a trial date prior to the start of the holidays, records show, while attorneys for the Angels indicated they wanted the trial to start as soon as possible.

All parties in the case ultimately agreed to the new September date, records show, for a trial that is currently expected to last more than a month.

The plaintiffs are seeking more than $210 million from the Angels, according to a recent court filing from attorneys representing the team. Under state law, even a jury finding that the team was only partially responsible for Skaggs’ death could lead to a multi-million dollar verdict.

Skaggs — a 27-year-old Santa Monica High graduate who spent most of his decade-long professional career in the Angels organization — was discovered in hotel room in 2019 dead of what was later determined to be a lethal combination of fentanyl and alcohol.

In 2022, former Angels communications staffer Eric Kay was convicted in federal court of providing Skaggs with drugs. Kay was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison.

Skaggs’ family argues the Angels knew, or should have known, about Skaggs’ drug use prior to his death. They allege that while Kay was hospitalized after a drug overdose, Kay’s supervisor was involved in a conversation with Kay’s mother about a drug connection between Kay and Skaggs.

Attorneys for the Angels contend that Kay and Skaggs had a “clandestine arrangement” in which Kay would “procure street drugs” for both of them and Skaggs would pay for the drugs. They allege that Skaggs hid his drug use from the team.

Attorneys for the Skaggs’ family — which includes his widow, Carli; his mother, Debbie Hetman; and his father, Darrell Skaggs — have accused Angels’ attorneys of trying to “run out the clock,” pointing to a California law that says a civil case must be brought to trial within five years of being filed or it will be dismissed. That deadline for the Skaggs’ lawsuit is June 2026.

A retired judge has been appointed to referee the discovery process, in which attorneys battle over which evidence must be provided to the other side.

Those discovery disputes remain “red hot,” attorneys representing the Angels wrote in a recent filing.

Recent disputes between the opposing attorneys have focused on the contents of cell phones belonging to Skaggs, as well as to various Angels officials, including owner Arte Moreno, chairman Dennis Kuhl and traveling secretary Tom Taylor.

Both sides also still need to conduct approximately 50 depositions prior to trial, the attorneys wrote. The subjects of those depositions reportedly include Moreno and star center fielder Mike Trout, among dozens of other current and former team employees.