Jurors say Skaggs, Angels shared blame for overdose death

"Jurors who heard two months of testimony in the wrongful-death civil suit between the Los Angeles Angels and the family of deceased pitcher Tyler Skaggs told ESPN their verdict was hardly a landslide for the plaintiffs and that all sides -- including Skaggs -- deserved blame for the overdose that killed him in 2019. They did make one thing clear before leaving the courthouse: The Angels needed to do better monitoring of their employees."

"Jurors said they had decided the Angels were partially -- but not entirely -- responsible for Skaggs' death because the team failed to monitor and report the erratic behavior of their former communications director, Eric Kay. Kay is serving a 22-year prison sentence for giving Skaggs the fentanyl-laced pill that killed Skaggs. The jury foreperson, who asked to be identified only as Richard, said the jury had decided on combined lost wages and non-punitive damages nearing $100 million."

"They also had decided to award punitive damages, with a starting figure of $10 million, Richard said. But California law required them first to hear arguments from attorneys before making any decision. Jurors said they were initially split on how to assign blame. Four entered deliberations siding with the plaintiffs; four sided with the Angels and four remained undecided."

Jurors who heard two months of testimony in the wrongful-death civil suit between the Los Angeles Angels and the family of Tyler Skaggs concluded that multiple parties bore responsibility for Skaggs' 2019 overdose. The jurors found the Angels partially responsible because the team failed to monitor and report erratic behavior by former communications director Eric Kay, who is serving a 22-year prison sentence for giving Skaggs the fentanyl-laced pill that killed him. The jury had calculated combined lost wages and non-punitive damages nearing $100 million and punitive damages beginning at $10 million, but a last-minute undisclosed settlement between the club and Skaggs' family prevented a final verdict.

Read at ESPN.com