Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia Each Granted Restraining Orders Against One Another

Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev claim the other was the aggressor in the incident that led to his Aug. 29 arrest, taking their ongoing disagreement to the courts in two separate domestic violence restraining orders — one against him and one against her — filed this week in Napa Valley, California.

The couple, who have a 4-year-old son, Matteo, have been estranged since the feud made national headlines, and Garcia filed for divorce from Chigvintsev on Sept. 11, ending their two-year marriage. Although Chigvintsev was arrested on spousal battery charges, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced on September 24 that her office declined to file criminal charges against the former Dancing with the stars professional dancer.

But on Monday, Sept. 30, a judge reportedly granted Garcia a restraining order against Chigvintsev, according to TMZ. And on Thursday, Oct. 3, Chigvintsev filed for his own protective order against Garcia, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE. A judge issued a protective order on October 4.

Both are scheduled to appear in court Oct. 21 for a full hearing, according to court filings.

Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia.

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

In each of their claims, Garcia, 40, and Chigvintsev, 42, alleged that the other was the aggressor, providing conflicting details about the altercation that began during the morning of Aug. 29 while Chigvintsev was making breakfast for Matteo.

Garcia claimed, according to the filing, that Chigvintsev had become “increasingly enraged” since being kicked out of Dancing with the starswhere the two met in 2017 when they were paired together on season 25 of the ABC reality competition series. Although they previously discussed his need to control his anger, the former WWE wrestler claims he snapped and yelled at her during a discussion about how Matteo’s English scone should be toasted, with Chigvintsev claiming Garcia made him a “picky eater “.

In his filing obtained by PEOPLE, Chigvintsev noted that Garcia appeared stressed about work. He alleged that she had “escalated the argument” by questioning how he was packing Matteo’s lunchbox and criticizing him for not carrying the same weight of parenting responsibilities, which he said was “absolutely false”. When he left the room to “let it cool off” and prepare Matteo to leave, Garcia followed him and continued to send him complaints. He insisted his “calm” answers drove her crazy until she “completely lost it”, screaming “‘get out of my house'” and “forcefully throwing both of Matteo’s sneakers at me.”

Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia. Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

In Garcia’s filing, she admitted to throwing away the shoes, but claimed they “hardly weighed anything and could not have hurt him.”

Garcia claimed she was “so devastated by Chigvintsev’s yelling at me that morning” that she threw her son’s “baby number 7 shoes” at her ex. “The shoes touched Chigvintsev’s foot. I admit it was wrong to throw the shoes, but I was so devastated by everything that happened that morning that I lost my judgment for a moment.”

From there, both agree that Chigvintsev took Matteo upstairs. She claimed Matteo was screaming “Mom! Mom!” while Chigvintsev said Matteo appeared “frightened” by his mother’s tone and was simply trying to “de-escalate the situation” as Garcia allegedly moved from “verbal abuse to physical [abuse]” and she did not listen to his pleas to “stop and calm down”.

Taking Matteo to his room, Chigvintsev explained in his statement that he closed the door behind him and refused to let Garcia in despite her demands to “open the door immediately.” When she allegedly forced herself, “Matteo started to cry.” And not wanting his son to “see his mother angry and arguing in his bedroom,” Chigvintsev moved himself and Garcia out.

“I tried to take her off me and move her away from the door frame so that Matteo would not witness a further conflict,” stated Chigvintsev. “I can’t stress enough how many times I begged her to stop and calm down. A struggle ensued, and both ended up on the ground. I knew at that point that nothing I said was going to hit her. [and] make her calm down. I was hurt and scared to move on. I needed help to stop.”

Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia.

Cindy Ord/Getty

In her filing, Garcia claimed that when she put her hand through the door, Chigvintsev “knocked her down” to the ground outside Matteo’s room. He claims that Chigvintsev “grabbed my hands and held me on the ground for 20 to 30 seconds.”

According to her filing, she kept pushing the door and got in, then Chigvintsev allegedly pushed her across the hall into their bedroom and forced her onto their bathroom floor.

The dancer “held his hands on my chest near my sternum and pressed on them,” the report said, so much so that she “felt like she was suffocating.” She then “grabbed him by the neck” trying to get him off her. – There was nothing else I could do.

“I think Artem saw the panic in my eyes, because he ‘took off,'” Garcia claims in his request.

Chigvintsev eventually called 911, alleging that Garcia had verbally threatened him while on the phone with a dispatcher. He stayed outside until they arrived and told his story to authorities, but was eventually arrested — something he noticed surprised him because he didn’t believe he was the main aggressor.

Artem Chigvintsev.

Superior Court of Napa County, California, Family Division

His submission included pictures of the marks he received on his body, allegedly caused by Garcia. Garcia’s documents did not contain photographs.

Artem Chigvintsev.

Superior Court of Napa County, California, Family Division

Artem Chigvintsev.

Superior Court of Napa County, California, Family Division

Garcia, on the other hand, told the officers about the incident and led them through the upstairs area where it happened. She also said Matteo allegedly informed officers, “Dad hurt my hand.” She also claimed that Chigvintsev had a history of physical violence and verbal abuse, citing an alleged incident in 2023 in which he “forcefully grabbed me around the waist” in an attempt to keep her away from their son.

In her filing, Garcia said the officer noticed red marks on her chest, and she pointed to red marks on her arms “from where Chigvintsev pinned her down.”

Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev.

Anna Webber/Getty

But in his statement, Chigvintsev said her claims were “absolutely false” and alleged that Garcia lied to authorities to get him arrested.

A spokesperson for the Napa Valley Police Department, the Napa Valley District Attorney and the Napa County Clerk of Court did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Garcia’s representatives shared a statement with PEOPLE. “Due to the incident that led to Artem’s arrest on August 29, 2024, Nikki decided to file for a temporary domestic violence restraining order to protect herself and her son. Although Nikki asked the Napa County District Attorney not to file charges against Artem because she did not want him to go to prison, he must still be held accountable for his actions, and Nikki and her son must be protected.”

The statement continued: “Nikki’s number one priority has always been the well-being of her son. She is grateful for all the love and support she has received and continues to seek privacy for her and her family during this difficult time.”

Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia. Nikki Bella’s Instagram

Meanwhile, Ilona Antonyan, Chigvintsev’s attorney, issued a statement to PEOPLE.

“It is crucial to consider the motives of both sides in this situation,” Antonyan said. “MR. Chigvintsev contacted the police [Aug. 29.] seeking protection from his wife’s persistent aggression. While he was on the phone to police, Ms Garcia-Colace made a scathing statement, saying: ‘Do you realize where this is going now, Artem? You just ruined my career and you know it.’ Someone should have been arrested that day, and it wouldn’t have been Mr. Chigvintsev if Ms. Garcia Colace had told the truth.”

“He denies ever assaulting her,” Antonyan added. “He was shocked when he learned two weeks after the incident that she had made these allegations against him; at that moment it made sense to him why he was arrested. As a result of his wife’s self-serving statement, Mr Chigvintsev’s career suffered, with numerous opportunities canceled due to of these false accusations. He was not the primary aggressor.”

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Artem Chigvintsev, Nikki Garcia and their son Matteo.

Nikki Garcia/ Instagram

Chigvintsev has since moved out of the home he shared with Garcia, although no official “eviction order” has been issued. The judge who granted Garcia’s restraining order prohibited Chigvintseva from contacting her or coming within 100 yards of her, their son, their home and her vehicle, TMZ reported.

However, the dancer was granted visitation and the ability to substitute Matteo for court-ordered visits.

According to Chigvintsev’s filing, he requested that he and Garcia share equal physical custody of Matteo according to a mutually agreed-upon schedule, beginning with Chigvintsev caring for Matteo from October 4 to October 12 while Garcia is in London for work, but custody and visits, his submission to the hearing was rejected.

In her application, Garcia asked to take Matteo with her on her work trip to London, as well as a work assignment in New Jersey from October 16th to October 24th.

“Despite my requests to his lawyer, Artem has to this day refused to allow me to travel with Matteo in order to fulfill these work obligations,” she wrote in her filing. “I’m worried that if I can’t take Matteo with me, Artem will try to take Matteo from the nanny, putting Matteo in danger.”

“My focus has always been and always will be, our son Matteo,” Chigvintsev said in September, when prosecutors dropped the charges against him. “[My son] is my world, and being his father is the greatest blessing in my life. All the time my main concern was for him. I am committed to continuing to give him the love, support and care he needs as we move forward.”

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