The drug that killed Tyler Skaggs was delivered to Angel Stadium the day he died. Are the Angels responsible for the pitcher’s death?

The drug that killed Tyler skaggs he was handed over to Angel Stadium the day he died, the government claims. Are the Angels baseball responsible for the pitcher’s death?

The government says it has evidence to show that a drug dealer delivered the counterfeit pills that killed the shooter. Angels Baseball Tyler Skaggs to an employee at Angel Stadium on the same day as Skaggs’ fatal overdose.

The evidence is not publicly disclosed and is withheld for trial. It allegedly shows that the former communications director of the Angels Baseball, Eric Kay, obtained fake oxycodone pills from one of his drug suppliers at Angel Stadium on June 30, 2019, just before Kay left with Skaggs and equipment for a road trip in Texas, according to prosecutors.

Later that night, Kay brought the pills to her hotel room. Skaggs around midnight, according to text messages obtained by federal prosecutors. Skaggs never made it to the game the next day.

The pitcher was found dead in his room at the Town Square Hilton in Southlake the next morning, just before the start of a four-game series against the Rangers.

Autopsy reports show that Skaggs he choked on his vomit and had a toxic mix of alcohol and the pain relievers fentanyl and oxycodone in his system. Prosecutors say medical reports will show that if it weren’t for fentanyl, Skaggs would be alive, blaming his death on the synthetic opioid that is known to be fatal in small doses or when combined with substances such as alcohol.

“Kay provided TS…. Counterfeit oxycodone pills. TS ingested the pills provided by Kay and shortly passed away from the effects of the fentanyl found in the counterfeit pills, ”prosecutors write in court documents.

It is unclear if Kay knew the pills were laced with fentanyl. Texting with your supposed drug suppliers in the online marketplace OfferUp They show him repeatedly asking if the drugs contain fentanyl, calling it “scary” and trying to avoid it, according to government documents. However, prosecutors say these texts illustrate that Kay knew there was a serious risk that the pills could contain fentanyl and should be held responsible for the death of Skaggs because he supplied the deadly drug.

Angel Stadium

The evidence tracing the acquisition of the fentanyl-laced pills to Angel Stadium is just one piece of a larger case against Kay by federal authorities. The court documents place great emphasis on Kay’s relationship with the team and the use of workplace facilities to operate her alleged drug distribution network. Multiple text message exchanges with suspected drug traffickers indicate that Kay sent the drugs to Angel Stadium on more than one occasion, according to prosecutors.

In one of those exchanges, Kay allegedly offers to drop off tickets to a game of the Angels Baseball for a dealer if he brings drugs to the stadium, saying “I can’t get out of work tonight.”

Speaking to another so-called merchant, Kay says, “Do you have a son? Could you hook him up with a signed Trout ball for a trade if you want? “The alleged dealer responds,” We are Dodgers fans my boy, lol (hahaha). “

The government also found emails on Kay’s work account, claiming they are between Kay and her drug suppliers. The court documents state: “Kay used her work time and her workplace, when she was around the players, to obtain controlled substances… she communicated with people during work hours and even asked them to deliver oxycodone pills to the Angel Stadium. “The government says Kay planned and intended to obtain the pills” while he was at Angel Stadium, “calling it part of his modus operandi or pattern of criminal conduct.

In 2019, while executing a search warrant at Kay’s office at Angel Stadium, federal agents found personal items such as a razor blade and a small cylinder that later tested positive for oxycodone and traces of fentanyl. Prosecutors say it shows that Kay “was obtaining and storing pills with him at Angel Stadium,” saying that “evidence that Kay had drug residues in his desk drawer is relevant to showing Kay’s knowledge and intent. to get pills at work. “

Allegations of a drug operation within the Angels Baseball organization

The government case extends to a broader theory that Kay was running a drug distribution operation within the organization of the Angels Baseball, allegedly contacting at least nine different drug vendors to try and obtain multiplayer pills from Angels, often using a Skaggs as an intermediary, according to government documents.

The government accuses Kay of distributing oxycodone to multiple Angels players beginning in 2017, and promises that at least five major league baseball players will take the stand to testify against him.

A civil attorney representing the family Skaggs said in court documents that Kay may have been providing illegal opioids to at least six Angels players. The government says the text messages will prove that Kay used to talk to Skaggs to coordinate the distribution of oxycodone pills to other players. Prosecutors claim that some of the players received two to three pills, while others would order as many as 20, calling Kay the “singular source” for players within the oxycodone pill organization.

Who knew what?

Kay reportedly told the Drug Enforcement Agency that “at least two executives” from the drug enforcement organization Angels Baseball They knew he was selling illicit drugs to Angels players.

Attorney Rusty Hardin, who also represents Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson in a separate series of civil lawsuits, represents the family. Skaggs in a wrongful death lawsuit against Angels Baseball.

Hardin claims that Angels Baseball promoted a “junkie to executive position” with “unlimited access to Angels players.” Court documents allege that in April 2019, members of Kay’s own family informed Kay’s boss, Tim Mead, that Kay was providing drugs to players within the organization and begged him to intervene, but Mead did not take any. measure.

Mead’s attorney denied this, telling ESPN: “Before the tragic death of Tyler skaggs, Tim Mead was not aware, informed or had no knowledge that Tyler may have used opioids, or that Eric Kay or any employee of the Angels Bseball had ever given opioids to any gambler. Any statement to the contrary is reckless and false ”.

Hardin also claims that the traveling secretary of the Angels Bseball, Tom Taylor, was “informed about the drug use of Skaggs long before his death, ”citing an investigation by Los Angeles Times.

Kay, who was with the Angels Baseball From 1996 to 2019, he began abusing illegal drugs just two years after joining the team and “went to rehab multiple times” over a period of nearly 24 years, Hardin’s lawsuit states. In 2019, Kay reportedly missed work due to an overdose and was hospitalized. Hardin says executives at the Angels organization knew Kay was in rehab and had a long-standing problem.

Are the Angels Baseball legally responsible?

Legally speaking, tens of millions of dollars could be at stake if the organization is found to be civilly liable for the death of Skaggs, Totally or partially. Evidence discovered as part of the government’s case could help the family’s civil case against Los Angeles. For example, Kay allegedly obtained pills through drug deals at the Angel Stadium, distributed them to players on team trips, stored and used drugs at work, offered team tickets and souvenirs in exchange for deliveries, and contacted dealers using his company email address.

Employers can be held liable for the acts of an employee if the employee acts within the scope of his employment by committing the wrongful act. Hardin claims that Angels Baseball They could also reasonably foresee what was going to happen given the team’s alleged knowledge of Kay’s drug use and distribution to the players.

“It is not a coincidence that Angels Baseball allowed Kay to be in the clubhouse, “says the Skaggs family’s lawsuit, which infers that Kay’s alleged purchase of pain relievers for the players was” incidental to her employment. “

They call the Club House of the Angels Baseball, a “toxic environment that pressured players to play despite the pain.” Players who missed games due to injuries were “called” pu ** ies “and ridiculed. Tyler he quickly realized that he was expected to throw even when he was wounded, ”says the civil complaint.

Skaggs, who suffered a series of injuries and missed a good portion of the 2015 season due to Tommy John surgery, continued to experience pain and discomfort during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, according to his family’s lawsuit. The family says Angels Baseball they are aware of the “rigors of a 162-game schedule and are aware that players run the risk of resorting to medications to help control pain.” The Skaggs’ lawsuit accuses Los Angeles of creating “the perfect storm” by employing a suspected drug addict and dealer.

The family says Angels Baseball had a duty to provide a safe work environment for Skaggs, the duty to properly hire, train and supervise employees, the duty to prevent their agents from distributing drugs in the workplace, and the duty to intervene when they allegedly acquired knowledge. Kay’s drug use and distribution.

For its part, the organization of Angels Baseball has denied knowledge of Kays activities and conducted its own internal investigation that found the same. President John Carpino issued a statement that said: “We have never heard that an employee is providing illegal narcotics to any player, or that any player is looking for illegal narcotics.”

“The organization Angels Baseball you strongly disagree with the claims made by the family Skaggs and we will vigorously defend these claims in court, ”the organization continued.

Kay has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is cooperating with authorities. Kay told the LA Times:

“Seeing and reading the sordid details of my own weaknesses on the national stage has been horrible. However, I am aware and respectful of the fact that my pain is completely insignificant compared to the pain that the family Skaggs you are feeling and will continue to feel for the rest of your lives. I made the decision to cooperate with law enforcement because I felt it was the right thing to do. That’s all I can do from this point on. If it comes with public shame and mockery, I accept it. “

Kay faces drug distribution and drug conspiracy charges in the death of drug overdose Skaggs. The charges carry a sentence of 20 years to life in prison if convicted.

With information from Leagueofjustice.com (Amy Dash).

Picture of Cluchtpoints.