Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov’s wife, Marta Varlamova, doesn’t want to testify against her husband as he faces domestic violence charges. In a pretrial hearing on Monday, Judge Eric Taylor warned her that she might be found in contempt and fined under $1,000 if she won’t answer questions. With that in mind, she has agreed to seek domestic violence counseling through the NHLPA to see if she might change her mind.
“I’d prefer not to find her in contempt if we can give her a chance to decide if she is willing to testify,” Taylor said, per the Daily Breeze. He also warned that this might end up having an impact on her immigration status.
Voynov, who is suspended indefinitely by the NHL, allegedly beat his wife and at one point shoved her into a flat-screen television during an incident on Oct. 19. Both Voynov’s attornys and his wife’s lawyer, Michael Walsh, have claimed that her injuries were caused by an accident. She was hospitalized and needed eight stitches to close a gash above her eye.
Based on interviews between the hospital workers and police, Varlamova reportedly told them that this wasn’t the first time this has happened.
Walsh stated in a memo in March that Varlamova has “legitimate concerns about her privacy and her personal well-being and desires to avoid the emotional trauma, embarrassment and destruction of her privacy that would result from being compelled to testify in this case.”
ER nurse said Voynov’s wife said only “I hit TV” and wouldn’t specify how her cut occurred. ER nurse saw no other injuries.
— Rich Hammond (@Rich_Hammond) May 4, 2015
Hospital security guard: Voynov’s wife “looked me in the eye and said, ‘He hit me.’”
— Rich Hammond (@Rich_Hammond) May 4, 2015
Hospital security guard on Voynov’s demeanor: “He seemed to be sad, I guess. Very concerned. He was very concerned for her [wife].”
— Rich Hammond (@Rich_Hammond) May 4, 2015
Focus of questioning of hospital employees is whether they understood Voynov’s wife, and vice versa. All saying communication was fine.
— Rich Hammond (@Rich_Hammond) May 4, 2015
Voynov lawyer pointing out, thru questioning, that Voynov didn’t try to interfere at hospital, cooperated, didn’t seem threatening.
— Rich Hammond (@Rich_Hammond) May 4, 2015
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