Tyler Skaggs wrongful death trial: Family testimony and team response
The family of former Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs gave powerful testimony in a civil wrongful death lawsuit against the team.
A former teammate of Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs has testified in a civil wrongful death lawsuit against the team that he, Skaggs and former communications director Eric Kay hid their drug use from the Angels.
Skaggs’ family is suing the Angels for wrongful death, claiming they should have known Kaye was giving them drugs, and seeking at least $118 million in lost profits, pain and suffering compensation and punitive damages against the team.
Mike Morin, who pitched for the Angels from 2014 to 2017, injured his arm during his final season with the team and said Kaye provided him with drugs. The pills will be placed in his locker and Kay will receive the money that Maureen left there.
Mr. Morin said Mr. Kaye gave him “Blue Boys” (a term used to identify 30-milligram blue oxycodone pills), and that he and Mr. Skaggs used the clubhouse bathroom for drug use, crushing the pills and inhaling them with a toilet paper dispenser.
Morin said in his testimony that there were between five and eight transactions with Kaye involving drug payments, adding that he felt Skaggs was responsible for his actions, which is important in protecting the Angels.
“It’s impossible for anyone to understand what it’s like to play at the MLB level,” Morin said. “There are only people in the same room who understand that. It’s an immense high and an immense low. There aren’t many other people who can fully understand what it feels like to dedicate your life to something and fail, and yes, what it takes to get there and stay there.”
Kaye is currently serving a 22-year sentence in federal prison after being found guilty of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance in the death of Skaggs, who was found dead in a hotel room in Southlake, Texas, on July 1, 2019, just as the Angels were preparing for a four-game series against the Texas Rangers. Authorities said Kaye distributed the fentanyl-laced pills that killed Skaggs.
