An iPad used by deceased former MLB player Tyler Skaggs is at the center of a punitive damages case against Skaggs’ prior team, the Angels. Here’s why a $2,000 iPad could end up triggering a $400 million ruling in the ongoing wrongful death trial.
iPad at the center of Tyler Skaggs wrongful death trial
Sam Blum writes at The Athletic (Apple News+ link):
[An] iPad has been asked about a lot in the wrongful death civil trial brought by Skaggs’ family against the Angels. It was the surface where Skaggs lined up the drugs before snorting them. Ex-Angels communications director Eric Kay provided the fentanyl-laced pill that Skaggs ingested, leading to his death on July 1, 2019.
On its face, the iPad seemingly serves no purpose in this case, other than its physical proximity to the tragic events that unfolded. But that iPad could trigger many millions of dollars in punitive damages.
The iPad’s importance requires a bit more context to explain.
In the state of California, punitive damages are not allowed as part of a wrongful death civil suit. However, “they can be awarded in separate, but related, survival claims if the decedent suffered property damage before death.”
So Skaggs’ legal team is currently trying to prove that the iPad “was damaged beyond repair by the fentanyl provided by Kay.”
The Athletic piece explains how the iPad in question, which was “valued at around $2,000,” is currently still in possession of the DEA. And a precedent established with O.J. Simpson’s civil trial is being used to try prompting a $400 million punitive damages payout.
How could a damaged $2,000 iPad trigger a $400 million ruling?
The argument points to O.J.’s trial, where the only property damage involved clothing, yet the jury awarded $25 million in punitive damages.
Skaggs’ attorney told The Athletic, “This thing cries out for punitive damages, which are designed to punish and deter the responsible party.“
In other words, the iPad only being worth thousands doesn’t really matter. It’s just a legal means by which the Angels as an organization can potentially be punished.
It’s a wild story, and you can read the full overview at The Athletic (also available via Apple News+).
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