Lawyer: Kings defenseman Slava Voynov 'never hit the woman'
The lawyer for Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov told The Hockey News that his client never hit the alleged victim in the domestic violence case and says he doubts that Voynov will be charged in the case.
Voynov’s attorney, Craig Renetzky, said he talked to the victim in the case for more than an hour on Tuesday and said “it’s clear to me there was no crime here.”
“Hopefully, the police will get that,” Renetzky said to The Hockey News. “And we’re hoping the NHL looks at the new evidence and will lift the suspension. What the police will find out when they talk to her is that the action was not related to Mr. Voynov.”
Voynov, 24, was suspended indefinitely by the National Hockey League after he was arrested on Monday by the Redondo Beach, Calif. Police Department for suspicion of domestic violence. Authorities say Voynov was arrested at a hospital where the victim was being treated.
Voynov has not been charged with any crime and is due in court on Dec. 1. The Kings said they support the NHL’s decision to suspend Voynov, who has two assists in six games this season.
The Redondo Beach Police Department issued a statement saying their officers “made contact with the victim at the hospital and determined that a crime of domestic violence did, in fact, occur.”
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Renetzky said he has issues with the way the NHL handled the issue, saying the league is presuming that Voynov is guilty before it has a chance to review the incident. He believes that the NHL acted because of the National Football League was criticized for the way it handed out punishment to its players who were accused of domestic violence.
“I think the league has gone extremely overboard,” Renetzky said. “In this country for the past 200 years, we’ve presumed people to be innocent until proven otherwise and the NHL has basically in this case said, ‘Well, OK, there was an allegation made, not even from the victim, not even from the woman. It’s just based on reports and you’re suspended indefinitely.’ That’s completely anti-American, I hate to say.”
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