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David Shoalts

The ex-girlfriend of Colorado Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov has filed a civil lawsuit accusing him of repeatedly beating her over the past two years.

Evgeniya Vavrinyuk filed the claim against the NHL player in Denver District Court on Monday. It seeks general, compensatory and punitive damages for her injuries and loss of income, but does not specify a financial amount.

A year ago, Varlamov, 26, was arrested by Denver police after Vavrinyuk said he beat her with his fists and kicked her after a Halloween party. But last December, the charges were dropped when the Denver District Attorney's Office decided it could not expect a conviction.

Lynn Kimbrough, communications director for the Denver District Attorney's Office, said the charges were dropped when a key witness, who had observed the injuries to Vavrinyuk but not the alleged assault, changed her story after giving an initial statement to the police.

Kimbrough said Monday it was not a case of "not believing our victim, not believing an assault had occurred. It spoke strictly to our ability to be able to prove it."

Keith Fink, the Los Angeles lawyer who represents Vavrinyuk in the lawsuit, referred to domestic abuse cases such as the ones involving NFL player Ray Rice and Los Angeles Kings defenceman Slava Voynov as indications this is a problem that needs to be addressed by the courts.

"Domestic violence is a serious issue to me," Fink said. "I think we've got a major problem in the United States, perhaps in Canada as well. It seems to me professional organizations and teams are enablers. You don't get a free pass to batter a woman because you are an athlete."

Fink said Vavrinyuk, who lives in the Denver area, is still feeling emotional trauma because Varlamov is still trying to contact her and renew their relationship. He sends her crudely worded text messages professing his love for her, Fink said.

Varlamov has not been personally served with the complaint, Fink said, but he expects the court papers will be served shortly to one of the player's lawyers.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in an e-mail the league has "no reaction" because the criminal case against Varlamov was dismissed last December.

"As far as I know, the allegations [against Varlamov] are no different than what were made last year," Daly said, "and the authorities determined that there was insufficient evidence to pursue a criminal case."

Jean Martineau, senior vice-president of communications and business operations for the Avalanche, also declined to comment. "We have already commented on this last year," Martineau said in an e-mail.

Varlamov's agent, Paul Theofanous, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

After NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was widely criticized for his handling of the Rice case, particularly when a video surfaced of Rice punching his then-fiancée in the face in a hotel elevator, the NHL took pains to distance itself from the NFL in its handling of domestic-violence incidents involving its players. While Rice was not hit by serious sanctions until after the video was made public, the NHL suspended Voynov indefinitely last week after he was arrested on accusations of domestic violence.

The speed with which the NHL acted on the Voynov case showed the league's attitude toward domestic violence has changed. One year ago, well before the storm over the Rice incident blew up, Varlamov was not suspended or fined after his arrest, and was allowed to keep playing.

However, under NHL rules, Varlamov could still face discipline from the league if Vavrinyuk's accusations are upheld by the Denver court.

In the statement of claim, Vavrinyuk said Varlamov beat her with his fists on many occasions after they moved in together in their hometown of Samara, Russia, in the fall of 2012. She said the attacks occurred when Varlamov was drinking heavily, and he followed the familiar pattern of domestic abusers by the begging for forgiveness and blaming his drunken state for the beatings.

The first attack occurred in November, 2012, in Samara, the statement alleged, when Varlamov drank heavily while the couple was out for dinner. He punched her repeatedly in a taxi, the complaint said, "in a drunken animal rage" that left her bloodied and bruised.

The beatings continued throughout their relationship – in Russia, in Denver and on a vacation in Maldives, where she and their hotel room were left covered in blood, Vavrinyuk said. On one occasion in Russia, Vavrinyuk said, Varlamov beat her so badly that neighbours called the police. But the police refused to press charges and shook Varlamov's hand, wishing him success for the following hockey season, her complaint said.

She said she feared for her life at times, and did not immediately file charges against Varlamov after the incident in October, 2013, because she thought his status as a professional athlete would allow him to escape any trouble.

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