Angels issue response to Tyler Skaggs lawsuit

The family of late pitcher Tyler Skaggs filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday, and the team promptly issued a response.

A lawsuit was filed Tuesday morning in Los Angeles County Superior Court on behalf of Skaggs’ widow, Carli. The complaint accuses the Angels of wrongful death and negligence. Former Angels communications director Eric Kay and vice president of communications Tim Mead are also named as defendants.

The Angels issued a statement in response to the lawsuit and called it “entirely without merit.” They said an independent investigation in 2019 determined that no one within the organization knew Skaggs was using drugs. You can see the full statement below:

Angels have released the following statement about the lawsuit filed by Tyler Skaggs’s family: pic.twitter.com/LxbuKAVIUh

— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) June 29, 2021

Skaggs, who was 27, died after choking on his own vomit in a hotel room with fentanyl, oxycodone and alcohol in his system on July 1, 2019. Former Angels communications director Eric Kay was charged last year with distributing the fentanyl that contributed to Skaggs’ overdose.

Before he was charged, Kay had admitted to federal investigators that he provided oxycodone to Skaggs and used opioids himself. He said two other Angels employees, one of which was former vice president of communications Tim Mead, knew about Skaggs’ drug use.

The Angels could have faced a significant fine from Major League Baseball if it was determined that they knew of Skaggs’ drug use, but MLB never penalized the team.