The family filed a $118 million lawsuit, asserting that the organization knew of Kay’s drug abuse, which it alleges contributed to Skaggs dying of an accidental overdose in 2019 at age 27. Under questioning from plaintiffs attorney Shawn Holley, Trout testified that a team employee alerted him to drug abuse by Kay prior to Skaggs’ death in a Texas hotel room. The family contends that Angels employees were aware of Kay’s drug abuse yet kept him on the staff. Former team officials Tim Mead and Tom Taylor previously testified that they were unaware of Kay’s drug abuse, but Kay’s wife refuted that assertion with text messages that were presented in court. ESPN reported in October 2019 that federal investigators were informed that team officials were aware of Skaggs’ drug use and that Kay was selling drugs to him and other players.