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Artem Chigvintsev claims it was Nikki Garcia who was the first aggressor in a battle they’d in August that led to his home violence arrest, and in a brand new courtroom submitting, he showcased pictures of the accidents he allegedly sustained amid the encounter.
Simply after it was revealed that Nikki, 40, had been granted a short lived restraining order (TRO) in opposition to him after accusing him of tackling her to the bottom and seemingly making an attempt to suffocate her, the 42-year-old Dancing With the Stars professional submitted his personal claims in opposition to Nikki as he requested and was granted his personal TRO in opposition to her.
In photos obtained by The New York Put up on October 4, Artem, who was not charged with a criminal offense in opposition to Nikki, was seen with scratches on his elbow, behind his ear, and on his palms.
‘DWTS’ alum Artem Chigvintsev alleges estranged spouse Nikki Garcia abused him https://t.co/59QwfYCp4O pic.twitter.com/G2ZzdlP9JW
— Web page Six (@PageSix) October 4, 2024
In an announcement to The Put up, Artem’s lawyer, Ilona Antonyan, denied the claims Nikki made in opposition to him in her TRO request.
“It’s essential to contemplate the motivations of each events on this scenario,” the legal professional said. “Mr. Chigvintsev contacted regulation enforcement on 8/29/24 in search of safety from his spouse’s persistent aggression. Whereas he was on the cellphone with the police, Ms. Garcia-Colace made a pointed assertion, saying, ‘Do you perceive the place that is going now, Artem? You simply ruined my profession, and you understand it.’”
In response to the lawyer, Nikki was not sincere along with her account of what transpired between them on the day of Artem’s arrest.
“That day, somebody was going to be arrested, and it wouldn’t have been Mr. Chigvintsev if Ms. Garcia Colace had advised the reality. [Chigvintsev] denies ever tackling her. He was shocked to be taught two weeks after the incident that she made this allegation in opposition to him; at that time it made sense to him why he was arrested,” he shared. “Because of spouse’s self-serving assertion, Mr. Chigvintsev’s profession suffered, with quite a few alternatives being canceled because of these false allegations. Males may also be victims of home violence; Mr. Chigvintsev’s case highlights this actuality. He was not the first aggressor.”
In Artem’s grievance, he agreed with Nikki’s statements concerning their battle beginning with an argument about their 4-year-old son. Nonetheless, whereas she mentioned it was he who accused her of creating their son a choosy eater, he mentioned it was she who criticized him for not making ready meals for the kid, and for failing to correctly toast Matteo’s muffin.
“[Nikki seemed] harassed because of her job that was arising,” he wrote, giving a nod to her internet hosting gig on Netflix’s Unfinished Beef. “She continued saying that she does all the pieces, and I don’t assist, which is completely false.”
Artem went on to say that Nikki berated him and started arguing about Matteo’s footwear as he tried to arrange him for his faculty day.
“[Bella] utterly misplaced it and began screaming ‘get the f*ck out of my home, I’m sick of all of it, I had sufficient,’” he continued, “adopted by [her] forcefully throwing each of Matteo’s sneakers at me. She hit my chest space [but] thankfully the footwear didn’t hit Matteo though he was proper subsequent to me. [My] first response was clearly security of Matteo as a result of he was standing proper by my facet.”
Amid the battle, Artem mentioned Matteo was “very confused and look[ed] frightened” whereas Nikki “proceed[d] yelling about wanting a divorce,.”
“[I] needed to defend [Matteo]” and was “pleading with [Nikki] to please cease this and relax. I took Matteo into my arms, and tried to deescalate the scenario and take him upstairs to his room,” he revealed, sharing that Nikki allegedly “tried to drive herself in to open the door.
“I couldn’t maintain it, as a result of she’s fairly sturdy. As quickly because the door started opening, Matteo begin[ed] crying,” he defined. “I didn’t need him seeing his mom indignant and confrontational in his bed room. I wished to guard Matteo from her lack of self-control for the time being. I squeezed myself by way of the door opening and tried to push myself out, whereas Petitioner continued to bodily assault me and push her approach in. I attempted to get her off me and away from the door body in order that Matteo wouldn’t witness any additional battle. I can’t stress sufficient what number of occasions I pleaded along with her to cease and relax.”
Following a “mutual battle,” Artem mentioned he and Nikki ended up on the bottom earlier than he referred to as 911 and was finally arrested.
“I had no thought what she advised the police, however to my shock[,] I ended up getting arrested. I used to be not the first aggressor, she positively was,” Artem recalled. “Because the 8/29/24 incident, I realized on 9/13/24 that she lied to the police that I tackled her twice, which is completely false.”
Artem additionally denied barricading himself of their room.
“This was a whole LIE,” he mentioned. “However it [made] sense why I used to be arrested as an alternative of her.”
In one other report, Nikki’s submitting in opposition to Artem was obtained by PEOPLE, revealing that Artem had pursued a profession in building after being let go from DWTS.
He was “minimize from the upcoming season” every week earlier than their battle and “had not been capable of finding different work as a dancer,” she wrote in her courtroom paperwork. “He had begun work at a building job and felt it was beneath him.”
Years in the past, on an episode of Nikki’s shared podcast with sister Brie, The Bellas, Artem spoke of the hardships he confronted after being minimize from DWTS in 2019.
“I don’t know the place to start, to be sincere with you. Clearly, it was an enormous shock. Having these calls is rarely, by no means, by no means enjoyable,” he mentioned on the time. “I devoted 10 years of my life to that firm and getting let go three days earlier than an announcement, that’s like a punch within the abdomen, actually.”
“It’s not even a job, it’s a way of life in the event you’ve been doing it for a really, very very long time. There was by no means actually a thought in my thoughts that I [wasn’t] going to be doing it. … However getting this name and [hearing], ‘There’s going to be no involvement within the present to any extent further’ — it’s like going by way of a breakup after 10 years,” he admitted.
Artem and Nikki are due in courtroom on October 21 for a listening to in regard to their dueling restraining orders.
