The civil lawsuit filed by Seymon Varlamov's girlfriend Evgeniya Vavrinyuk claims that he beat her multiple times over a 12 month period.
Seymon Varlamov's girlfriend Evgeniya Vavrinyuk claims in a civil lawsuit filed Monday that she has been the victim of repeated beatings at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche goaltender and that she "feared for her life" at times while living with him in Denver.
The nine-page lawsuit, first reported by TMZ and obtained in full by NBC Sports, details at least four separate instances of alleged domestic abuse and subsequent promises from Varlamov that the attacks would stop. Vavrinyuk is seeking monetary and punitive damages, citing a reduction in her past and current income, injury to her reputation, medical costs and both emotional and bodily injury as a result of Varlamov's actions.
In one particularly graphic description of an alleged crime, the lawsuit claims that during a June 2013 vacation, "[Varlamov's] repeated attacks caused Vavrinyuk to bleed all over the hotel room floor and furnishings." It also claims that "Varlamov pleaded with Vavrinyuk to help him clean" and that she did so, "but not before photographing some of the bloody mess."
Varlamov was arrested and charged in November 2013 for allegedly assaulting Vavrinyuk at the home they shared in Denver at the time. Criminal charges were dropped after the Denver district attorney concluded that they could not prove the case in court beyond a reasonable doubt. Varlamov maintained his innocence throughout.
The allegations in Monday's filing are essentially the same as those made a year ago when Varlamov was arrested, and they're clearly not pretty. The NHL did not suspend Varlamov a year ago, allowing him to play even while charges were pending, a decision that came under fire from some at the time.
After the Ray Rice incident that engulfed the NFL this past summer, the landscape involving professional sports and domestic violence incidents is quite different than it was just a year ago. Just last week, the NHL suspended Kings defenseman Slava Voynov indefinitely after he as arrested on suspicion of domestic assault, even while charges have yet to be filed.
The NHL has the ability to suspend Varlamov while proceedings -- be it criminal or civil -- are underway, according to Section 18-A of its collective bargaining agreement, as long as "the failure to suspend the player during this period would create a substantial risk of material harm to the legitimate interests and/or reputation of the league."
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said last week while discussing the Voynov case that "circumstances were different" in Varlamov's case, saying that he couldn't elaborate any further than that.
Below you can see the full nine-page lawsuit filed against Varlamov on Monday.