The widow of a man killed during a fight over COVID-19 precautions is suing the corporate entities that own the Minnesota Wild and the St. Paul bar where he died, accusing them of negligence and illegally continuing to serve alcohol to the drunk perpetrator.
The suit was filed in April by Julie Ryan, widow of the late Bloomington hockey coach Mike Ryan. It names six entities and Ryan Whisler, the St. Paul man who punched Ryan outside Herbie's on the Park in April 2021, as defendants.
Whisler was sentenced Monday in a separate criminal case to seven years' probation after he pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter. The sentence factored in the request of Julie Ryan, who asked the judge to not give Whisler, 46, any prison time.
Ryan, 48, was in the restroom at Herbie's on the Park when he noticed Whisler filming himself as he punched a hole in the cellophane covering a urinal before using it, the suit states. The urinal was supposed to be blocked in order to meet social distancing requirements during the pandemic.
Ryan notified a bartender about Whisler's actions and told her to keep an eye on Whisler, the complaint reads.
The two men got into a verbal argument that turned into a fight. Whisler grabbed Ryan's facemask before punching Ryan down the stairs as they exited the bar at closing time, the suit says. Ryan sustained a fatal brain injury when he hit his head on the concrete.
One of the suit's four claims is that the defendants are responsible for Ryan's death by not shutting down Whisler's behavior.
Workers "should have known the risk" Whisler presented to patrons, and "failed to provide safe premises" by not having security intervene before Ryan was punched, the suit says. Bar workers directed Whisler and Ryan outside at 11 p.m. and locked the doors behind them without making an effort to separate the two, the suit alleges.
