Nova ScotiaTwo lawsuits filed against a former downtown Halifax bar by the family of a man who died after an altercation with a bouncer outside the business have been settled out of court. 31-year-old died after an altercation outside the former downtown bar in December 2022Josh Hoffman · CBC News · Posted: Dec 01, 2025 3:38 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Lawsuits filed by the family of Ryan Sawyer, who died after an altercation with a bouncer outside the Halifax Alehouse, were settled out of court in October. (Dave Laughlin/CBC)Two lawsuits filed against a former downtown Halifax bar by the family of a man who died after an altercation with a bouncer outside the business have been settled out of court. Ryan Sawyer, 31, died after police found him unconscious outside the Halifax Alehouse in the early hours of Dec. 24, 2022. A lawsuit filed by Sawyer’s parents on behalf of his estate alleged the actions of Alexander Levy, the bar’s head of security at the time of the incident, resulted in his death. “Levy intentionally assaulted Ryan, by, amongst other things, choking Ryan until and after he lost consciousness,” the lawsuit said.A second lawsuit was filed by Kyle Sawyer, Ryan’s brother, who was with Ryan the night he died.Kyle alleged bouncers assaulted him in a “harsh, malicious, reprehensible” manner. From left, Ryan, Scott, Kyle and Lee Sawyer. Ryan and Kyle were home visiting over the holidays in December 2022 when Ryan died. (Scott and Lee Sawyer)Both matters were settled on Oct. 31, according to court documents.The parents, Scott and Lee Sawyer, told CBC News they cannot comment on the specific details of the settlements, but said part of the decision to resolve the civil matters was because they didn’t have the energy or emotional capacity to go through another court case. Levy, 40, was found guilty of manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death last week following a criminal trial in early October related to Ryan Sawyer’s death. Bar closed and soldThe lawyer representing the owners of the Alehouse and Levy in the civil cases did not respond to a request for comment before publication. The bar has been closed since October of last year when the province ordered it to shut down for 45 consecutive days as a result of Liquor Control Act charges, marking one of the longest closures ever issued to a liquor licensee in the province.The Alehouse and the adjacent HFX Sports Bar were sold at the end of last year to a commercial developer for more than $7.6 million, according to online real estate website ViewPoint. Third lawsuitThe Halifax Alehouse and Levy are named as defendants in another lawsuit related to an incident at the bar four months before Sawyer died.In a statement of claim, a patron accuses Alehouse security guards of attacking him on Aug. 14, 2022, leaving him with serious injuries.The Alehouse alleges the patron provoked staff and that staff acted reasonably during the incident, according to the statement of defence. The lawyers for both parties did not respond to a request for comment. MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORJosh Hoffman is a reporter for CBC Nova Scotia. Josh worked as a local radio reporter all over Canada before moving to Nova Scotia in 2018.
Family of Ryan Sawyer settles lawsuits against Halifax Alehouse and bouncer
