Artem Chigvintsev, a well-known former “Dancing With The Star” contestant, has reportedly obtained a restraining order against Nikki Garcia, as eWn reports. The restraining order was granted by a judge this Thursday, the same day Garcia received a restraining order against Chigvintsev. This development is in regards to the August 29 incident which resulted in Chigvintsev’s arrest under allegations of domestic battery. Subsequently, Garcia filed for divorce on September 11.
Reports by The New York Post suggest that Chigvintsev’s legal team has refuted Garcia’s account of the events. His lawyer’s statement asserts that Chigvintsev was not the primary aggressor and chastises Ms. Garcia’s lack of honest communication with law enforcement. It also revealed that the incident forced Chigvintsev to lose numerous career opportunities due to the false allegations.
According to Chigvintsev, the heated argument which led to the incident started over simple domestic issues; Garcia criticizing him for his involvement or lack thereof in their son’s school preparedness and house chores. This escalated into a verbal confrontation which included an assertion from Garcia that she wanted a divorce, leaving their son distressed.
In response to this, Chigvintsev claimed he attempted to avoid the situation and protect their son. However, Garcia forcefully tried to enter the son’s room leading to a physical altercation on the floor. The incident ended with Chigvintsev contacting law enforcement, and to his surprise, he was the one who was arrested.
The court has mandated both parents to share joint custody of their son for the present time, and daily video call interactions are permitted. Furthermore, neither parent is allowed to make negative comments about each other in front of their child.
Our initial report, which details Nikki Garcia’s version of the event, details that Garcia filed a restraining order against Chigvintsev after accusing him of multiple instances of physical assault. The allegations stem from an argument over breakfast, which eventually escalated to a physical altercation.
Nikki claims that Chigvintsev locked their son in a room, tackled her twice, and held her to the ground. Upon arrival, the responding officers noted visible injuries on Nikki and consequently arrested Chigvintsev. Nikki also alleges that there have been several instances of physical and verbal abuse throughout their relationship.
A judge has ordered Chigvintsev to maintain a distance from Nikki and their son. The upcoming hearing for this issue is scheduled for October 21. As it stands now, the couple is heading towards a potentially messy divorce, and Chigvintsev is reportedly seeking spousal support. Despite the incidents, Chigvintsev has been granted visitation and FaceTime privileges with their son.
TMZ was given this statement from a representative of Nikki Garcia: “Nikki has decided to file for a temporary Domestic Violence Restraining Order to protect herself and her son… he [Chigvintsev] must still be held accountable for his actions, and Nikki and her son must be protected. Nikki’s number one priority has always been the well-being of her son.”