Nikita Zaitsev, currently recovering from lower-body injuries after blocking multiple shots against the Blue Jackets on December 14th, was present today for a court hearing where he and his ex-wife Margarita Gotovtseva (she now goes by her mother's maiden name) were vying for full custody of their two children, Sonia, age 4 and Vera, age 2.
After a seven hour hearing in Kuntsevo, a suburb of Moscow, Judge Yelena Lebedeva awarded full custody to Margarita.
Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Margarita Gotovtseva said: "The decision went in our favour, we were awarded most of what we asked for. In terms of the children, I'm very happy and thankful. I'm going to try to get them. (Gotovtseva has been claiming that Zaitsev's parents have been hiding the children from her.) The matter of visitation with their father will be resolved at a later date, I'm not ready to talk about that yet. We're almost at the New Year, I have a lot to do."
"I hope Nikita will not continue to hide the children from me as he has been doing," she added.
Nikita Zaitsev himself did not comment on the proceedings immediately, but his lawyer Victoria Danilchenko immediately announced that they will appeal the court's ruling. Later, Zaitsev said that the crux of their appeal will be based on the fact that his ex-wife did not submit to a drug test at a clinic as they had demanded before the hearing. "We're going to continue fighting," Zaitsev said.
Source: RIA News
Source: Sport Express
