Colorado Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov is reportedly being sued by his ex-girlfriend.
According to a report from TMZ, Evgeniya Vavrinyuk has filed a civil suit against Varlamov in Colorado, citing years of alleged abuse. Varlamov was arrested on domestic violence charges last year involving Vavrinyuk, but prosecutors dismissed a misdemeanor assault charge because they didn’t believe they could convict Varlamov beyond a reasonable doubt.
In her suit, filed in Colorado by attorney Keith Fink, Vavrinyuk claims Semyon first attacked her back in 2012 in a “drunken animal rage” … kicking and punching her even after she was “helpless on the ground.”
Vavrinyuk claims the abuse occurred multiple times … with Semyon constantly apologizing and begging her for forgiveness when he sobered up.
In her suit, Vavrinyuk says some of the abuse occurred when they were living in Russia — but even when neighbors called police, “they refused to file any report or press charges due to Varlamov’s celebrity hockey player status in Russia.”
Vavrinyuk is seeking $1 million in damages, according to TMZ. The burden of proof in a civil trial is much lower, so the conditions are different than last year’s misdemeanor.
The NHL will now be faced with the question of how to handle the situation. The league recently suspended Kings defenceman Slava Voynov indefinitely over a domestic assault case where charges haven’t yet been filed. When Varlamov’s case originally came up last season, he didn’t miss a game.
The 25-year-old Varlamov has just one win through five games this season, registering a .917 save percentage and 3.19 goals-against average.
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