The family of an Akron man who died after being punched in the head in an Akron bar has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the DJ convicted of the assault and the bar’s owners.
Stacy Ryan, the wife of Forrest Ryan, filed the lawsuit late Friday afternoon in Summit County Common Pleas Court, about a week after DJ Robert Jarvis was sentenced to four years in prison for the assault. The suit is against Jarvis and the Zodiac Club, where the assault occurred last January.
“He left behind two children who no longer have a father,” said Megan Frantz Oldham, a Canton attorney representing the Ryan family.
Jarvis, 65, of Akron, was working at the Zodiac Bar, 1955 Triplett Blvd., just after midnight Jan. 8, 2016, when he assaulted Ryan, 43, of North Canton, on the bar’s patio.
Jarvis pleaded guilty in November to involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony, under an agreement with prosecutors. Judge Todd McKenney sentenced Jarvis to four years in prison when he faced up to 11 years. Jarvis plans to request an early release when he is eligible in six months.
A video of the incident, obtained by the Beacon Journal from the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office after Jarvis’ sentencing, shows Ryan walk into the bar’s patio. Jarvis walks in and says something to Ryan — the video has no audio — and then Jarvis punches Ryan in the head three times.
Jarvis then throws Ryan into two sets of tables on the patio, jostling other bar patrons and their belongings. The patrons separate the two men. Ryan pauses a moment and then collapses onto the cement floor. Jarvis leaves the patio and the patrons cluster around the unresponsive Ryan.
Ryan was pronounced dead at 12:46 a.m. The Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office found that he died from blood and swelling in his brain caused by “blunt force trauma,” according to the lawsuit.
Oldham said the video likely will be an important part of the evidence in the lawsuit, especially because it shows that Ryan did nothing wrong, not even fighting back or throwing a punch.
“It’s amazing to see someone living his life who has no idea what is about to happen,” she said.
The lawsuit says Jarvis purposely injured Ryan and that the bar failed to provide a safe environment for Ryan and other patrons. The bar had four criminal incidents involving patrons or employees before Ryan’s assault, Oldham said.
Ryan’s family is seeking compensation for medical expenses, funeral and burial costs, lost support for his wife and one adult and two young children and punitive damages and attorney fees.
Oldham said it is difficult to put a price tag on these losses. She expects the lawsuit to take a year to a year and a half to conclude if a settlement isn’t reached.
Mike Callahan, Jarvis’ attorney in his criminal case, said Jarvis was anticipating the wrongful-death lawsuit. The attorney said he will share the suit with Jarvis and his family.
The lawsuit also names Bertison Enterprises in Akron, which owns the bar, and Clara Ann Masiella, the bar’s landlord.
The attorney for the Zodiac bar and the bar’s owner and landlord couldn’t be reached for comment Friday evening.
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705 or swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com.