Semyon Varlamov is being sued by his ex-girlfriend on accusations of domestic abuse. (USATSI)
Semyon Varlamov is being sued by his ex-girlfriend on accusations of domestic abuse. (USATSI)

Colorado Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov is being sued by his ex-girlfriend who had previously accused him of domestic abuse according to NBCSports.com. Varlamov was arrested on assault and kidnapping charges in October 2013, but the case was dismissed in December, as prosecutors felt they could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

In the lawsuit, Evgeniya Vavrinyuk alleges repeated instances of domestic abuse at the hands of Varlamov between 2012 and 2013. Vavrinyuk also claims severe emotional distress as a result of the alleged abuse in the suit.

Vavinyuk seeks compensatory and punitive damages according to a copy of the suit obtained by NBCSports.com. According to TMZ.com, she seeks more than $1 million.

This lawsuit comes on the heels of another Russian NHL player being arrested on suspicion of domestic violence. Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov is currently suspended indefinitely by the NHL following his arrest last week. Charges have yet to be formally filed in that case as the investigation is ongoing.

Varlamov was not suspended by the NHL at the time of his arrest, but the landscape of how professional leagues deal with domestic assault allegations has changed in the wake of the NFL’s perceived mishandling of former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice.

It is probably not a coincidence that the suit against Varlamov comes down while domestic violence, and by extension Varlamov’s alleged incident, is back in focus in the wake of Voynov’s arrest. That said, because the charges were dismissed and a trial was never held for Varlamov, there’s still that seed of doubt about what really happened the night Varlamov was arrested.

This lawsuit may attempt to bring that into the open as it attempts to prove the serious and disturbing accusations within it.