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

Wallis Snowdon · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 26, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

A $5.3-million wrongful decease suit launched successful the aftermath of a fatal boxing lucifer successful Edmonton successful 2017 was softly settled with the fighter's household 4 years aft it was filed, CBC News has learned.

The household of combatant Tim Hague filed the suit successful 2019, alleging that the authorities liable for his information failed to support him.  The suit was formally dismissed successful the Court of King's Bench successful September 2023.

Hague, 34, suffered a fatal knockout connected June 16, 2017, during a boxing lucifer licensed by the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission. He walked from the ringing but lapsed into a coma and was taken disconnected beingness enactment 2 days later.  

Hague had suffered a encephalon bleed and a subdural hematoma. After his death, helium was diagnosed with aboriginal signifier chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative illness caused by repetitive caput trauma.

Hague's decease renewed calls for Alberta to found a centralized combat committee with sweeping recommendations for regulatory betterment proceed to reverberate passim the combat community.  

Court documents obtained by CBC News shed airy connected the ineligible conflict that attempted to clasp idiosyncratic accountable for his death. 

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

Court records from the colony proceedings amusement the Hague property was awarded conscionable implicit $116,000. After ineligible fees, Hague's surviving parents and his lone kid were near with conscionable shy of $65,000.

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

Erik Magraken, a idiosyncratic wounded and combat sports regulatory lawyer successful B.C., said with the lawsuit present settled, it's clip for action.

An autarkic reappraisal into Hague's death, on with a nationalist fatality inquiry, recommended the enactment of a provincial committee to modulate each fights, but the provincial authorities has yet to determination forward.

"The clip for digit pointing is present over," Magraken said.  "The existent happening to absorption connected is, person lessons been learned truthful that tragedies similar this are little likely?

"I'm conscionable hoping lessons tin beryllium learned from Mr. Hague's calamity due to the fact that that's each that's near to do." 

A colony reached 

A sworn affidavit from Ian Hague, Tim Hague's brother, said the household opted to settee due, successful part, to concerns implicit the fiscal strain of ineligible costs if the suit was to neglect astatine trial.

According to tribunal documents, determination were concerns astir however an alleged wounded Hague whitethorn person suffered days earlier the bout could interaction the family's claims of gross negligence.

"Evidence has travel to airy successful the people of questioning that the deceased was not truthful successful respect of his completion of the statutory declaration," Ian Hague's sworn affidavit reads.

"If Mr. Hague was knocked retired starring up to the lawsuit and did prolong a concussion, that whitethorn person made him susceptible to acold much terrible consequences than helium would person ordinarily suffered, including death." 

The colony provided $20,000 to Hague's parents. Another information of astir $44,000 was placed into a spot for his son, who was 8 astatine the clip of Hague's death. 

"I americium not successful a presumption to spend adverse tribunal cost consequences, nor is immoderate different subordinate of the family," the affidavit reads.

"My household and I would similar to determination connected from this tragic event." 

Hague, who took the combat connected abbreviated notice, had a past of knockouts and concussions. His astir caller aesculapian suspension had expired days earlier his fight.

Court documents amusement Hague had signed a statutory declaration signifier confirming to combat organizers that helium had not sustained a concussion oregon a knockout wrong the past 30 days. Hague besides signed a afloat waiver and aesculapian merchandise form. 

Alleged knockout 

According to 2 further sworn affidavits successful the tribunal file, details of the alleged knockout helium suffered during grooming were revealed during a speech among Hague's friends — members of the combat assemblage — who had gathered to wage their last respects.

According to the tribunal documents, 1 of the friends visiting the infirmary suggested that Hague had been "knocked out" successful grooming successful the week starring up to the match, but decided to combat anyway.

Magraken said the details of the lawsuit show the request for cautious tracking of each fighter's aesculapian past and for commissions to enactment arsenic diligent watchdogs for the perchance catastrophic risks of chronic caput trauma.

It's not uncommon for fighters, anxious to support their livelihoods, to stay soundless astir their wellness issues oregon injuries, helium said.

"Everybody progressive should instrumentality a harder look astatine the realities of cumulative encephalon harm and marque definite that wounded is being treated with the gravity it deserves." 

'Eight years of inaction'

Shara Vigeant, who erstwhile trained Hague, remains frustrated with the gait of betterment and questions Alberta's committedness to combatant safety. 

An Edmonton-based MMA trainer and erstwhile fighter, Vigeant said Hague's decease should person prompted swift and sweeping regulatory reforms.

Since then, different combatant has died. Trokon Dousuah, 33, succumbed to injuries sustained successful his archetypal amateur mixed martial arts combat successful precocious 2024.

The clip has travel to "clean house" and instrumentality province-wide oversight with stricter policies focused connected combatant safety, she said. 

"It's been 8 years since Tim's decease — 8 years of inaction," Vigeant said. "And still, Alberta remains the lone state successful Canada without a provincial commission.

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