Court filings, including one mistakenly posted, shed new light on the 2019 overdose death of Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs and the role of former communications director Eric Kay, now serving 22 years in prison. The documents are part of a $210 million wrongful death lawsuit filed by the Skaggs family against the Angels in June 2021 in California state court.
On May 30, 2025, the Angels sought to dismiss the case, citing a deposition from Skaggs’ former agent, Ryan Hamill. Hamill testified that Skaggs admitted in 2013 to using Percocets, sourced from then-teammate Wade Miley, now with the Cincinnati Reds. “He came clean,” Hamill said. “He said he had been using — I believe it was Percocets — and he said he got them through Wade Miley.”
Hamill, co-lead of baseball at Creative Artists Agency, expressed concerns about Skaggs’ drug use to his family and confronted him directly. Miley’s name also surfaced in Kay’s criminal case, where Kay told his mother in a recorded prison call that Miley supplied drugs to Skaggs.
Miley, through his agent, declined to comment and faces no charges or formal accusations. Hamill also declined to comment. Can the Angels avoid liability, or will the Skaggs family prevail? Follow the case for updates.
New court filings, mistakenly posted publicly last week, reveal details in the $210 million wrongful death lawsuit filed by the Tyler Skaggs family against the Los Angeles Angels in June 2021. The documents, part of the Skaggs family’s motion for summary judgment, suggest multiple Angels employees, including high-level officials, knew of former communications director Eric Kay’s drug use and his role in supplying pills to Skaggs, who died of an overdose in 2019.
The filings, including confidential depositions, were briefly available on the court’s online portal, despite typically being sealed. Angels’ attorneys accused the Skaggs side of intentional posting, which was denied. “The documents were filed pursuant to California rules of the court and the existing protective order, and were designated to be conditionally filed under seal,” said a spokesperson for Rusty Hardin, the Skaggs family’s attorney. The documents were removed after The Athletic sought comment, and a motion to block reporting was denied by Judge Shaina H. Colover, citing First Amendment rights.
“We are going to respect the Court’s prior order and not cite the wealth of evidence which counters (the Skaggs’ family’s) claims and supports the fact that the team is not responsible for Tyler’s passing,” said Todd Theodora, Angels’ legal counsel.
Skaggs’ Drug Use Central to Defense
The Angels argue Skaggs’ decade-long addiction and illegal drug use absolve them of liability. “Under the law it is significant that Tyler Skaggs struggled with addiction for nearly a decade and knowingly used drugs from multiple different unsecured and illegal sources,” Theodora said. Their motion claims Skaggs’ “soliciting and using illegal opiates for almost a decade” bars the family’s negligence claims.
Text messages cited include Skaggs texting teammate Mike Morin in June 2017: “Talked to EK (Eric Kay) can I buy one from you since you cleaned the guy out.” Days before his death in June 2019, Skaggs texted Matt Harvey: “Can I get 2 lol.” During Kay’s trial, teammates Cam Bedrosian, C.J. Cron, Harvey, and Morin testified to receiving pills from Kay, often via Skaggs.
Will the Angels avoid liability, or will the Skaggs family prevail? Stay tuned for updates on this high-stakes case.
Skaggs, whose jersey the team wore in its first home game after his death, and Eric Kay, right, spent years together with the Angels. (John McCoy / Getty Images)
Court filings in the $210 million wrongful death lawsuit against the Los Angeles Angels reveal that team officials may have known about Eric Kay’s drug issues and his connection to Tyler Skaggs, who died of an overdose in 2019. Skaggs’ mother, Debbie Hetman, testified at Kay’s trial that Skaggs abused Percocet in 2013, with medical records showing he took five daily by September 2013, starting in 2012. He was prescribed Suboxone for opioid dependence.
In 2015, Skaggs texted his then-girlfriend, Carli, about marijuana use, jokingly saying, “I’m a drug addict lol,” which the Angels cite as evidence of his awareness of his addiction.
Camela Kay, Eric’s ex-wife, testified on April 3, 2025, that in 2013, Eric admitted Vicodin abuse to her, Angels VP Tim Mead, and traveling secretary Tom Taylor during a New York road trip. After a failed 2017 intervention, Mead and Taylor found six or seven baggies of pills at Kay’s home. Camela suspected Eric was selling to players but didn’t share this with Mead or Taylor then. Mead previously denied discussing opioids or Skaggs with Kay, and both he and Taylor declined comment.
In 2019, after Kay’s erratic behavior at work on Easter, Camela told Taylor that Eric’s sister claimed the pills were for Skaggs. “I said Tyler Skaggs,” she clarified. Eric’s mother, Sandy Kay, testified she told Mead at the hospital that Skaggs was texting Eric, but Mead didn’t respond. Police notes from a 2019 interview suggest Kay discussed his dynamic with Skaggs with Mead. Angels attorney Todd Theodora countered, “The evidence will show that neither Tom Taylor nor Tim Mead were aware of Tyler Skaggs’ opioid use prior to his death.”
The Skaggs family alleges multiple Angels employees knew of Kay’s addiction. Texts show Mead coordinating with team doctor Erik Abell and benefits coordinator Cecilia Schneider after Kay’s 2019 hospitalization. In 2015, Kay emailed about “private rehab with a team doc.” Angels communications employee Grace McNamee testified in October 2024 that she saw Kay struggling to stay awake during a 2018 game and, with Matt Birch, contacted Taylor to escort him out. On June 30, 2019, McNamee told Adam Chodzko she thought Kay needed to stay home, unaware if he’d been treated. “Treatment is a process,” she said.
Team president John Carpino testified on February 26, 2025, that he was unaware of Kay’s May 2019 rehab, only knowing he was on medical leave, and approved Kay’s Texas trip where Skaggs died.
Will these revelations sway the $210M lawsuit? Follow the case for updates.