Credit: Instagram
Artem Chigvintsev claims it was Nikki Garcia who was the primary aggressor in a fight they had in August that led to his domestic violence arrest, and in a new court filing, he showcased photos of the injuries he allegedly sustained amid the encounter.
Just after it was revealed that Nikki, 40, had been granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) against him after accusing him of tackling her to the ground and seemingly attempting to suffocate her, the 42-year-old Dancing With the Stars pro submitted his own claims against Nikki as he requested and was granted his own TRO against her.
In images obtained by The New York Post on October 4, Artem, who was not charged with a crime against Nikki, was seen with scratches on his elbow, behind his ear, and on his hands.
‘DWTS’ alum Artem Chigvintsev alleges estranged wife Nikki Garcia abused him pic.twitter.com/G2ZzdlP9JW
— Page Six (@PageSix) October 4, 2024
In a statement to The Post, Artem’s lawyer, Ilona Antonyan, denied the claims Nikki made against him in her TRO request.
“It is crucial to consider the motivations of both parties in this situation,” the attorney stated. “Mr. Chigvintsev contacted law enforcement on 8/29/24 seeking protection from his wife’s persistent aggression. While he was on the phone with the police, Ms. Garcia-Colace made a pointed statement, saying, ‘Do you understand where this is going now, Artem? You just ruined my career, and you know it.’”
According to the lawyer, Nikki was not honest with her account of what transpired between them on the day of Artem’s arrest.
“That day, someone was going to be arrested, and it wouldn’t have been Mr. Chigvintsev if Ms. Garcia Colace had told the truth. [Chigvintsev] denies ever tackling her. 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,” he shared. “As a result of wife’s self-serving statement, Mr. Chigvintsev’s career suffered, with numerous opportunities being canceled due to these false allegations. Men can also be victims of domestic violence; Mr. Chigvintsev’s case highlights this reality. He was not the primary aggressor.”
In Artem’s complaint, he agreed with Nikki’s statements regarding their fight starting with an argument about their 4-year-old son. However, while she said it was he who accused her of making their son a picky eater, he said it was she who criticized him for not preparing meals for the child, and for failing to properly toast Matteo’s muffin.
“[Nikki seemed] stressed due to her job that was coming up,” he wrote, giving a nod to her hosting gig on Netflix’s Unfinished Beef. “She continued saying that she does everything, and I don’t help, which is absolutely false.”
Artem went on to say that Nikki berated him and began arguing about Matteo’s shoes as he attempted to prepare him for his school day.
“[Bella] completely lost it and started screaming ‘get the f*ck out of my house, I am sick of all of it, I had enough,’” he continued, “followed by [her] forcefully throwing both of Matteo’s sneakers at me. She hit my chest area [but] fortunately the shoes did not hit Matteo although he was right next to me. [My] first reaction was obviously safety of Matteo because he was standing right by my side.”
Amid the fight, Artem said Matteo was “very confused and look[ed] frightened” while Nikki “continue[d] yelling about wanting a divorce,.”
“[I] had to protect [Matteo]” and was “pleading with [Nikki] to please stop this and calm down. I took Matteo into my arms, and tried to deescalate the situation and take him upstairs to his room,” he revealed, sharing that Nikki allegedly “tried to force herself in to open the door.
“I could not hold it, because she’s quite strong. As soon as the door began opening, Matteo start[ed] crying,” he explained. “I did not want him seeing his mother angry and confrontational in his bedroom. I wanted to protect Matteo from her lack of self-control at the moment. I squeezed myself through the door opening and tried to push myself out, while Petitioner continued to physically attack me and push her way in. I tried to get her off me and away from the door frame so that Matteo would not witness any further conflict. I cannot stress enough how many times I pleaded with her to stop and calm down.”
Following a “mutual struggle,” Artem said he and Nikki ended up on the ground before he called 911 and was ultimately arrested.
“I had no idea what she told the police, but to my surprise[,] I ended up getting arrested. I was not the primary aggressor, she definitely was,” Artem recalled. “Since the 8/29/24 incident, I learned on 9/13/24 that she lied to the police that I tackled her twice, which is absolutely false.”
Artem also denied barricading himself in their room.
“This was a complete LIE,” he said. “But it [made] sense why I was arrested instead of her.”
In another report, Nikki’s filing against Artem was obtained by PEOPLE, revealing that Artem had pursued a career in construction after being let go from DWTS.
He was “cut from the upcoming season” a week before their fight and “had not been able to find other work as a dancer,” she wrote in her court documents. “He had begun work at a construction job and felt it was beneath him.”
Years ago, on an episode of Nikki’s shared podcast with sister Brie, The Bellas, Artem spoke of the hardships he faced after being cut from DWTS in 2019.
“I don’t know where to begin, to be honest with you. Obviously, it was a massive shock. Having those calls is never, never, never fun,” he said at the time. “I dedicated 10 years of my life to that company and getting let go three days before an announcement, that’s like a punch in the stomach, really.”
“It’s not even a job, it’s a lifestyle if you’ve been doing it for a very, very long time. There was never really a thought in my mind that I [wasn’t] going to be doing it. … But getting this call and [hearing], ‘There’s going to be no involvement in the show from now on’ — it’s like going through a breakup after 10 years,” he admitted.
Artem and Nikki are due in court on October 21 for a hearing in regard to their dueling restraining orders.
