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CBC
14 hours ago
- Sport
- CBC
Wrongful death lawsuit filed in Edmonton boxing death 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.
CBC
10-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
8 years after Tim Hague's death, Alberta failing on combat sport reform, experts say
Eight years after a deadly boxing match in Edmonton triggered calls for the province to regulate combat sports, Alberta government officials say they need more time to consider the changes. An inquiry into the 2017 death of fighter Tim Hague called for sweeping changes to how combat sports are governed in Alberta, including a key recommendation that a single provincial commission be established to oversee every match. Currently, municipalities are left to regulate combat sports. Despite the need for reform highlighted by Hague's death — and more recently the 2024 death of Trokon Dousuah during an amateur MMA fight near Edmonton — the province has yet to take definitive action. Some of the changes proposed in the Hague inquiry recommendations have been rejected outright. Others, including the call for a provincial commission, remain under consideration. Critics argue that Alberta's inaction is irresponsible and that Alberta's current system fails to protect fighters from the dangers they face in the ring or cage. 'Dragging their heels' Erik Magraken, a combat sports regulatory lawyer in B.C., said Hague's legacy should be the impetus for change, but the province continues to choose "the path of neglect," he said. Dousuah's death demonstrates that additional delays are dangerous, he said. "Alberta seems to be dragging their heels," he said. "Tim Hague died eight years ago. Alberta has had a long time to respond." Dr. Randolph Knipping, a certified ringside physician and former Ontario coroner, said Hague's death underscores the urgent need for reform. Alberta is the only province without provincial oversight for combat sports and fighter safety should not depend on geography, Knipping said. "If you rely on the municipalities, it's going to be a patchwork quilt." A fatal uppercut Hague, 34, suffered a brain hemorrhage on June 16, 2017, after suffering a knockout during a boxing match licensed by the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission. A left uppercut in the second round put Hague on the canvas. He walked from the ring but lapsed into a coma and was taken off life support two days later. He suffered a brain bleed and subdural hematoma. His brain also showed signs of traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative disease caused by repetitive head trauma. 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. His family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in 2019 seeking more than $5 million in damages for alleged gross negligence causing death. The family and their lawyer, Ari Schacter of Assiff Law, declined to comment on the status of the lawsuit. The calls for provincial oversight and tougher safety rules that followed Hague's death grew louder last year following the Nov. 25, 2024, death of Dousuah in an amateur charity match west of Edmonton. Dousuah, a 34-year-old novice fighter, fought three rounds but was carried out of the ring, later dying in hospital. Following that fatal bout, former sports minister Joseph Schow said Alberta would undertake a review of combat sport safety and explore the possibility of provincial regulation. Consultations began last year, but there is no timeline for the review's completion. 'Neither accepts nor rejects' In her 2024 inquiry report into Hague's death, Justice Carrie Sharpe said the province should handle sanctioning of combat sports in Alberta. In its formal response to the inquiry, the sports ministry said it "neither accepts nor rejects" this recommendation. The ministry is "considering" a commission but requires time to engage with stakeholders to identify how the province could be involved in overseeing the sport. Andrew Boitchenko, Alberta's new sports minister, declined a request for an interview. A ministry spokesperson told CBC News that a statement issued by Schow in March — asserting Alberta's commitment to athlete safety — "still stands." In that statement, Schow said how the inquiry recommendations are implemented depends on the future role of the province in regulating combat sport. Recommendations rejected Of the 14 recommendations, four were rejected outright by the province. Among them, a recommendation that a government-run database be established to track each athlete's records. In correspondence with the inquiry, ministry officials said such a database would be "duplicative" and of "limited utility." The province also rejected a recommendation that concussion spotters be present at every event and that they be given the authority to stop a fight. The ministry said it was an unnecessary measure, telling the inquiry that ringside physicians are better equipped to recognize the signs of a concussion. The province also rejected a recommendation that all fighters undergo CT scans every six months, regardless of their injury. The province said mandating such scans would expose competitors to unnecessary radiation. The "matter requires further analysis" to determine whether other diagnostic tools could be used instead, the ministry said. Eight other measures were "accepted in principle" by the province, including consistent suspension periods for all combat sports and mandatory yearly training for referees on how to recognize head trauma. City response The City of Edmonton accepted six of the inquiry's recommendations and partially implemented reforms, even before the inquiry findings were published. These include mandatory suspensions for fighters who suffer knockouts and required medical suspensions between all bouts. The city, however, rejected two recommendations related to mandatory CT and MRI scans after knockouts. The Edmonton Combative Sports Commission declined interview requests, but said it remains committed to improving fighter safety and supports calls for the establishment of a provincial sanctioning body. Don't wait for another fatality - Dr. Randolph Knipping While Knipping agreed with many of the inquiry's suggestions — such as mandatory post-fight suspensions, annual referee training, and clear documentation of injuries — he also criticized others as "key errors." He opposed the call for regular CT scans, mandatory imaging after knockouts and a centralized registry, arguing instead for broader diagnostic assessments and a fighter "passport" system to track injuries. Still, he said the province must proceed with a commission to close regulatory gaps. There is danger, he said, in allowing safety to be determined locally rather than under a unified provincial regulatory body. "It's unfortunate that it takes a fatality to create the attention that this deserves," Knipping said. "Cut and paste what works in other jurisdictions. Use what's already there. "Don't wait for another fatality."
