Artem Chigvintsev Secures Shared Custody Of Son

According to new reports, the “Dancing With The Stars” alum scored a shared custody arrangement after a 2-hour appearance in court. This verdict must be great news for Chigvintsev as his estranged spouse filed for full custody of their son, Matteo.

That was not all; Nikki Garcia also had multiple demands for Artem Chigvintsev, painting him as a man who needed to be supervised around their son. The update in their divorce case comes weeks after the dancer labeled the former WWE star the primary aggressor.

When Chigvintsev responded to Garcia’s divorce filing, he asked for shared custody of their son — a request that was recently granted at the Napa County, California court on Tuesday, October 15.

A judge ordered the estranged couple to co-parent their son without granting any of Garcia’s requests. In her divorce filing, she asked for full custody of Matteo and requested for Chigvintsev to have supervised visitation and undergo anger management classes.

Although the co-parenting order did not honor any of her demands, the judge noted Garcia and Chigvintsev had to attend individual therapy to work on their differences as well as parenting classes.

As for their divorce trial, TMZ reported the pair would return to court in December and were expected to wrap up their case within two days. But it remains to be seen if Garcia and Chigvintsev can split amicably, especially with their domestic violence drama.

Chigvintsev and Garcia’s seemingly perfect marriage fell apart in August when the dancer was arrested for suspicion of domestic violence. Two months later, The Blast shared his side of the story via his restraining order filing.

According to Chigvintsev, the day started peacefully with him preparing Matteo for school in their Napa County, California home. He had been preparing breakfast when Garcia allegedly picked a fight over the way he prepared their son’s toast.

Garcia’s alleged complaints continued with criticism for placing two food options — a quesadilla and chicken tenders — in Matteo’s lunch box. Then she followed him out to the living room and picked a fight over his inability to wear their son’s shoes properly.

Chigvintsev claimed his patience hit its limit at that point, and he clapped back at Garcia, fueling her anger as she threw shoes at him. He alleged she started screaming about getting a divorce while their son watched them, frightened and confused.

According to Chigvintsev, he grabbed Matteo and took the boy to his bedroom while locking Garcia out to protect him from her meltdown. However, she followed them and repeatedly tried to get into the room until he was forced to stop her.

Unfortunately, things went south as Garcia allegedly shoved her way in and physically attacked him. They grappled on the floor for some minutes before the dancer broke free and called 911, noting his estranged wife kept yelling in the background.

At one point, Garcia allegedly said, “Do you understand here this is gonna go now, Artem. You just ruined my career, and you know it.” Chigvintsev backed his claims with pictures of injuries, but earlier reports did not mention cops finding wounds on his body.

While Chigvintsev painted Garcia as the primary aggressor, she shared a different story in her restraining order petition. The filing followed a similar narrative, except the former WWE star claimed her estranged husband had done the shouting over Matteo’s preparations.

She acknowledged throwing Matteo’s sneakers at him and trying to get into the boy’s bedroom; however, Chigvintsev allegedly tackled her to the ground. Garcia claimed he attacked her a second time, pushing her across the hall into their bedroom.

The dancer allegedly forced her to the floor in their bathroom with his hands on her chest near her sternum. He pressed down so hard that Garcia felt like she was suffocating, and she fought back to escape his grip.

Before Chigvintsev and Garcia filed restraining orders against themselves, prosecutors had dropped the domestic violence case. They chose not to pursue the charges against the dancer, an outcome he proudly celebrated in a statement.

Chigvintsev stressed that it had been an “extremely difficult time for him,” but was “thankful that the truth has prevailed.” He noted he would not dwell on the incident as his priorities revolved around his son.

“He is my world, and being his father is the greatest blessing in my life. All along, my main concern has been for him. I am committed to continuing to provide him with the love, support, and care he needs as we move forward,” Chigvintsev declared.

Will Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Garcia be able to co-parent amicably?