Artem Chigvintsev refuses to let his ex-wife Nikki Garcia have the last word in their messy divorce. After a judge granted Nikki’s request for a restraining order, Artem sought one out too. New reports indicate a judge granted his request too.
As new details emerge about the case, it’s clear to fans that Artem and Nikki don’t stand much of a chance for reconciliation. Read on to see more about the granted restraining orders.
Nikki Garcia Cited Violence Against Artem Chigvintsev In Restraining Order
TMZ broke the news about Nikki Garcia’s restraining order against her ex earlier this week. In her version of events, Artem had grown quite hostile and prone to fits of rage after Dancing With The Stars didn’t renew his contract. She asked him to work on his anger problem, but nothing seemed to work.
The morning of August 29, the pair reportedly had a fight over breakfast, which ultimately escalated and resulted in the 911 call.
Nikki went on to allege Artem violently tackled her to the ground and tried to suffocate her. Artem’s version of events looks a bit different, but authorities did arrest him on domestic violence charges when they arrived at their Napa Valley home.
The Former DWTS Pro Adamantly Denies Nikki Garcia’s Version
After reporting on Nikki Garcia’s restraining order, TMZ shared that Artem clapped back at his ex-wife, citing a completely different story.
Nikki and Artem agree that an argument broke out over breakfast, but the stories take wildly different turns. In the dancer’s version, he claims that his wife kept chastising him and found fault with everything he did before ultimately throwing their four-year-old son’s shoes at him. When Artem took their son upstairs to get away from her, she allegedly chased after them and violently tried to snatch their son back.
“I tried to get her off me and away from the door frame so that Matteo would not witness any further conflict,” Artem said in his official statement, as obtained by PEOPLE. “I cannot stress enough how many times I pleaded with her to stop and calm down. There was a mutual struggle, and both ended up on the ground. At that moment, I knew that nothing I would say would get to her [and] make her calm down. I was hurt and scared of her continuing on. I needed help for her to stop.”
“He denies ever tackling her,” Artem’s lawyer told PEOPLE. “He was shocked to learn two weeks after the incident that she made this allegation against him; at that point it made sense to him why he was arrested. As a result of wife’s self-serving statement, Mr. Chigvintsev’s career suffered, with numerous opportunities being canceled due to these false allegations. He was not the primary aggressor.”
