Dancing with the Stars alum Artem Chigvintsev had a good day in court on October 15. In a two-hour hearing of his divorce case with estranged wife Nikki Garcia, Artem came out with everything he wanted as far as their separation goes.
Despite Nikki requesting sole custody of the couple’s four-year-old son Matteo, the Napa County judge ordered them to share custody. This is exactly what Artem was hoping for since he requested joint custody in his divorce filing in September.
Nikki also requested that Artem be allowed supervised visitation only and attend anger management classes. Neither request was granted.
A win for Artem Chigvintsev in his divorce from Nikki Garcia
Just three days after their second wedding anniversary on August 26, Artem was arrested after a fight allegedly became physical. The Napa County District Attorney later decided against filing criminal charges against the DWTS star, saying they couldn’t “ethically file charges” at the time.
According to TMZ, during Tuesday’s court hearing, Artem denied having any anger issues. The judge declined to order anger management, but both parents will be required to participate in individual therapy. The judge also ordered the couple to take parenting classes so they can better co-parent their son.
Following his arrest, Nikki was granted a restraining order against her husband after detailing his alleged abuse. But Artem responded with his own accusations that Nikki was the actual aggressor in their relationship. Artem’s attorney previously told TMZ that the professional dancer denies ever tackling his wife.
The couple’s divorce trial is set for December and is scheduled to require two days. No matter who was the actual aggressor, it’s sad to see Artem and Nikki’s love story come to such a nasty end. They seemed so in love when they married in Paris. But, Artem’s not up for reconciliation – and Nikki likely isn’t either. Not yet, anyway.
Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC and Disney+.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK ARTEM AND NIKKI WILL EVER BE ABLE TO BE FRIENDS AGAIN FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR SON?
