USA Today via Reuters
MLB, Baseball Herren, USA Los Angeles Angels at Seattle Mariners, May 31, 2019 Seattle, WA, USA Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs 45 walks off the field after pitching in the third inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Lindsey Wasson-USA TODAY Sports, 31.05.2019 19:50:22, 12807857, MLB, NPStrans, Seattle Mariners, T-Mobile Park, Tyler Skaggs, Los Angeles Angels PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xLindseyxWassonx 12807857
USA Today via Reuters
MLB, Baseball Herren, USA Los Angeles Angels at Seattle Mariners, May 31, 2019 Seattle, WA, USA Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs 45 walks off the field after pitching in the third inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Lindsey Wasson-USA TODAY Sports, 31.05.2019 19:50:22, 12807857, MLB, NPStrans, Seattle Mariners, T-Mobile Park, Tyler Skaggs, Los Angeles Angels PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xLindseyxWassonx 12807857
The legal fallout from the 2019 death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs continues to haunt the Los Angeles Angels, as the team now stands accused of defaulting on a six-figure payment for the legal defense of a former employee.
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Per Angels beat writer, Sam Blum, “The Angels promised to pay Eric Kay’s legal fees ahead of their civil trial last year. However, Kay’s lawyer said that a $130,000 bill has not been paid, and the Angels are refusing to pay.”
In July 2019, the Angels lost pitcher Tyler Skaggs at 27. It was found that Skaggs died from an overdose after ingesting fentanyl laced oxycodone.
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In 2022, a jury convicted former Angels communications director Eric Kay and sentenced him to 22 years’ imprisonment.
The investigators found alcohol, fentanyl, and oxycodone in his system and reported the cause of death as choking on his own vomit.
News: The Angels promised to pay Eric Kay’s legal fees ahead of their civil trial last year.
However, Kay’s lawyer said that a $130,000 bill has not been paid, and the Angels are refusing to pay.
Kay currently has no attorney for his appeal.
Read: https://t.co/C5rYg9xQpf pic.twitter.com/sV17CMZReV
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) April 7, 2026
Five MLB players even testified to receiving oxycodone from Eric Kay between 2017 and 2019 during the criminal trial. Matt Harvey was one of them.
The Skaggs’ family filed a wrongful death lawsuit seeking $118M, alleging ignorance from the Angles and their staff. This trial lasted 2 months in the Southern California court, but the parties settled before the jury could give a verdict.
Amid this mess, the Angels had agreed to pay for Eric Kay‘s attorney.
In November 2024, the Angels had agreed to pay attorney David Gerger for defense during proceedings. The Angels should have made the payments by June 2025. But reports indicate that they still need to pay up to $130K.
Rumors suggest that the payments will stop after Kay’s conviction in 2022. This has led to the attorney filing a withdrawal, citing unpaid fees and expenses.
The Skaggs’ family attorney called this funding withdrawal a calculated decision expected after the case settled in December 2025. Kay has requested the court to appoint a new counsel, citing that the February 2026 discovery should be reviewed according to the protocols.
But without counsel, Eric Kay will have a very difficult time appealing his case, even with developing evidence.
Eric Kay’s ex-wife also called out the Angels
During the Tyler Skaggs trial, Eric Kay’s ex-wife, Camela Kay, also criticized the Los Angeles Angels.
Eric Kay, the Angels’ communications director at the time, was sentenced to 22 years in prison for providing a fentanyl-laced pill that led to Skaggs’ overdose. Camela Kay, his ex-wife, testified in the civil trial, claiming the Angels failed her husband. She mentioned that Kay was struggling with addiction too, but the team did not help him.
Camela Kay said she had seen player-informed, drinking, and passing pills on the team plane when she traveled with Eric Kay. She even added that she had informed officials about the pills that were allegedly intended for Skaggs. But per Camela, the team took no action.
The family’s wrongful-death lawsuit argues that the Angels should take responsibility for allowing Eric Kay to continue working.
The testimony also included details about Eric Kay’s 2019 hospitalization after an overdose and his brief stay in rehab.
Camela said she found pills among his belongings and text messages that suggested he was supplying drugs to players. The organization ignored clear warning signs of drug abuse within its staff, tying her account directly to those claims.
The Angels have consistently denied knowing that Skaggs was using drugs or that any activity involving Kay happened during team duties. Attorneys emphasized that any drug use took place privately and outside the players’ work schedule.
The case later concluded with a confidential settlement, marking an end to the highly publicized legal battle over one of baseball’s most tragic losses.
Written by
Edited by
Ahana Chatterjee