In SANTA ANA, Calif., a former Los Angeles Angels executive testified on Wednesday regarding a team employee previously convicted of supplying drugs that caused the death of a prominent pitcher. The official described the employee as competent in his role but noted some behavioral challenges, highlighting his use of prescribed medication for depression and bipolar disorder.

Tim Mead, who managed the team’s communications, was the first to provide testimony in the highly anticipated civil trial related to a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the family of Tyler Skaggs, the deceased pitcher. Mead had departed the Angels shortly before Skaggs tragically overdosed in 2019, taking on the role of president at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

The lawsuit alleges that the team should be held accountable for Skaggs’ passing, pointing to Eric Kay, the Angels’ communication director, who was convicted for supplying the fentanyl-laced pill that resulted in Skaggs’ fatal overdose during a team trip in 2019.

Mead, who was Kay’s supervisor, testified in Santa Ana on Thursday, acknowledging Kay’s reliance on medication and occasional off days due to his mental health struggles. Mead recounted that while Kay was typically a proficient employee, there were instances of concerning behavior, such as verbal outbursts at an intern, engaging in an affair with another employee, and accepting money from players for stunts like enduring fast pitches.

“He was generally a good worker and performer,” explained Mead, now an adjunct professor, adding, “I trusted his understanding of his condition and how he managed it, despite occasional off days.”

Mead said he believed Kay was mismanaging his medication, and said Kay told him sometimes he didn’t take it, and never heard anything about him taking illegal drugs. When a lawyer for the plaintiff’s family asked why Mead didn’t report Kay’s issues to the team, Mead said Kay was participating in an employee assistance program that he considered “part of the organization.”

In April 2019, Mead said concerns about Kay rose to a new level when he was behaving unusually at work then wound up hospitalized later that night. Mead said he went to see Kay the next day.

“He was a mess. His eyes were half rolled up his head,” Mead said. “There was obviously something very very wrong.”

Skaggs’ wife, Carli, and parents filed a wrongful-death lawsuit contending the team failed to follow its drug policies and allowed an addicted and drug-dealing employee, Kay, to have access to its players.

The Angels argue that Skaggs and Kay were involved in drugs on their own time and the team could not have prevented what Skaggs did in the privacy of his hotel room the night he died. The team has also said its officials were not aware Skaggs was taking drugs or they would have tried to help him.

The trial comes more than six years after 27-year-old Skaggs was found dead in the suburban Dallas hotel room where he was staying as the Angels were supposed to open a four-game series against the Texas Rangers. A coroner’s report says Skaggs choked to death on his vomit and that a toxic mix of alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone was found in his system.

Kay was convicted in 2022 of providing Skaggs with an oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl and sentenced to 22 years in federal prison. His federal criminal trial in Texas included testimony from five MLB players who said they received oxycodone from Kay at various times from 2017 to 2019, the years he was accused of obtaining pills and giving them to Angels players.

Skaggs’ family is seeking $118 million in lost earnings as well as compensation for their pain and suffering and punitive damages against the team.

Skaggs had been a regular in the Angels’ starting rotation since late 2016 and struggled with injuries repeatedly during that time. He previously played for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

After his death, the MLB reached a deal with the players association to start testing for opioids and to refer those who test positive to the treatment board.

The trial is expected to take weeks and could include testimony from players including Angels outfielder Mike Trout and the team’s former pitcher, Wade Miley, who currently plays for the Cincinnati Reds.