It looks like the Los Angeles Angels are never going to get out of the Tyler Skaggs case. After Skaggs passed away in 2019, there have been many accusations against the Angels and ex-employee Eric Kay. And we can add another one to the list of accusations.
Angels beat writer, Sam Blum, reported saying, “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. 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 testified to receiving oxycodone from Eric Kay between 2017 and 2019 during the criminal trial.
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 until June of 2025. But reports indicate that they need to pay up to $130K.
Rumors suggest that the payments will stop after the conviction of Kay 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 as per 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
While the whole Tyler Skaggs trial was going on, Eric Kay’s ex-wife, Camela Kay, also criticized the Los Angeles Angels.
The Los Angeles Angels are still dealing with the fallout from Tyler Skaggs’ death in 2019, and the team has faced intense scrutiny since then.
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, also testified in the civil trial claiming the Angels failed her husband. She says 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 added that she had previously inforeport officials about pills that they allegedly intended for Skaggs. But she says that the team took no action after her reporting.
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.
