Tyler Skaggs Wrongful Death Trial Continues
The wrongful death trial surrounding former Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs has now reached its sixth week, with his widow and mother testifying recently.
Carly Skaggs shared her experiences during her testimony on Monday. She began dating Tyler in 2014 and mentioned that she was aware of his prior struggles with Percocet addiction, but she was unaware that he was still using it at the time of his passing.
Tragically, Skaggs died in 2019 after consuming fentanyl-laced oxycodone mixed with alcohol, which had been provided by Eric Kaye, the team’s former communications director who is currently serving a 22-year sentence.
During her testimony, Carly mentioned that while Tyler had taken ecstasy on their honeymoon and they experimented with marijuana together, they stopped using drugs as they wanted to start a family. An attorney working for the Skaggs family inquired if she could recall any instances of being aware of Tyler’s drug use. She responded, “No. I racked my brain thinking of something I might have missed.”
Debbie Hetman, Skaggs’ mother, also took the stand. She indicated that the Angels organization never inquired about Tyler’s previous addictions, and she would have informed them if they had. Furthermore, she shared that she had asked her doctor for an alternative painkiller during a previous surgery due to her own history with addiction.
The Skaggs family is pursuing $118 million in damages, citing lost profits, compensation for suffering, and punitive damages against the Angels. The team, on the other hand, contends that while Kaye supplied the drugs, Tyler willingly consumed them away from the team environment, asserting that they bear no responsibility for his death.
Skaggs was only 27 when he was found dead in a Southlake, Texas hotel room, just before a game against the Texas Rangers. In the ongoing trial, former New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey disclosed that he had provided drugs to Skaggs during their time as teammates, alongside revelations from other players regarding Kaye’s involvement in supplying substances.
Mike Trout, another player, highlighted instances where players would pay Kaye for unusual favors, and remarked that there were concerns about Kaye possibly misusing the funds. He recalled his gut feeling that it could involve drugs. Trout asserted that, to his knowledge, he had only seen Skaggs partake in alcohol or marijuana, not any harder substances.
