Lawsuit filed in fatal Edmonton boxing match settled as calls for reform continue

A $5.3-million wrongful death lawsuit launched in the wake of a fatal boxing match in Edmonton in 2017 was quietly settled with the fighter's family four years after it was filed, CBC News has learned.

The family of fighter Tim Hague filed the lawsuit in 2019, alleging that the authorities responsible for his safety failed to protect him.  The suit was formally dismissed in the Court of King's Bench in September 2023.

Hague, 34, suffered a fatal knockout on June 16, 2017, during a boxing match licensed by the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission. He walked from the ring but lapsed into a coma and was taken off life support two days later.  

Hague had suffered a brain bleed and a subdural hematoma. After his death, he was diagnosed with early stage chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative disease caused by repetitive head trauma.

Hague's death renewed calls for Alberta to establish a centralized combat commission with sweeping recommendations for regulatory reform continue to reverberate throughout the fight community.  

Court documents obtained by CBC News shed light on the legal battle that attempted to hold someone accountable for his death. 

The lawsuit alleged gross negligence and named 11 parties, including the City of Edmonton and its combative sports commission. The allegations of negligence contained in the suit had been contested by all parties.

Court records from the settlement proceedings show the Hague estate was awarded just over $116,000. After legal fees, Hague's surviving parents and his only child were left with just shy of $65,000.

The family and their lawyer, Ari Schacter of Assiff Law, declined to comment.

Erik Magraken, a personal injury and combat sports regulatory lawyer in B.C., said with the case now settled, it's time for action.

An independent review into Hague's death, along with a public fatality inquiry, recommended the formation of a provincial commission to regulate all fights, but the provincial government has yet to move forward.

"The time for finger pointing is now over," Magraken said.  "The real thing to focus on is, have lessons been learned so that tragedies like this are less likely?

"I'm just hoping lessons can be learned from Mr. Hague's tragedy because that's all that's left to do." 

A settlement reached 

A sworn affidavit from Ian Hague, Tim Hague's brother, said the family opted to settle due, in part, to concerns over the financial strain of legal costs if the lawsuit was to fail at trial.

According to court documents, there were concerns about how an alleged injury Hague may have suffered days before the bout could impact the family's claims of gross negligence.

"Evidence has come to light in the course of questioning that the deceased was not truthful in respect of his completion of the statutory declaration," Ian Hague's sworn affidavit reads.

"If Mr. Hague was knocked out leading up to the event and did sustain a concussion, that may have made him susceptible to far more severe consequences than he would have ordinarily suffered, including death." 

The settlement provided $20,000 to Hague's parents. Another portion of nearly $44,000 was placed into a trust for his son, who was eight at the time of Hague's death. 

"I am not in a position to afford adverse court cost consequences, nor is any other member of the family," the affidavit reads.

"My family and I would like to move on from this tragic event." 

Hague, who took the fight on short notice, had a history of knockouts and concussions. His most recent medical suspension had expired days before his fight.

Court documents show Hague had signed a statutory declaration form confirming to fight organizers that he had not sustained a concussion or a knockout within the past 30 days. Hague also signed a full waiver and medical release form. 

Alleged knockout 

According to two additional sworn affidavits in the court file, details of the alleged knockout he suffered during training were revealed during a conversation among Hague's friends — members of the combat community — who had gathered to pay their final respects.

According to the court documents, one of the friends visiting the hospital suggested that Hague had been "knocked out" in training in the week leading up to the match, but decided to fight anyway.

Magraken said the details of the case demonstrate the need for careful tracking of each fighter's medical history and for commissions to act as diligent watchdogs for the potentially catastrophic risks of chronic head trauma.

It's not uncommon for fighters, eager to maintain their livelihoods, to remain silent about their health issues or injuries, he said.

"Everybody involved should take a harder look at the realities of cumulative brain damage and make sure that injury is being treated with the gravity it deserves." 

'Eight years of inaction'

Shara Vigeant, who once trained Hague, remains frustrated with the pace of reform and questions Alberta's commitment to fighter safety. 

An Edmonton-based MMA trainer and former fighter, Vigeant said Hague's death should have prompted swift and sweeping regulatory reforms.

Since then, another fighter has died. Trokon Dousuah, 33, succumbed to injuries sustained in his first amateur mixed martial arts fight in late 2024.

The time has come to "clean house" and implement province-wide oversight with stricter policies focused on fighter safety, she said. 

"It's been eight years since Tim's death — eight years of inaction," Vigeant said. "And still, Alberta remains the only province in Canada without a provincial commission.

"Enough is enough. Lives are on the line."