Superior Court of California; Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency
Denise Richards has obtained a temporary domestic violence restraining order against her estranged husband, Aaron Phypers, after coming forward with shocking abuse allegations — which he denied.
In newly filed court docs obtained by Star, the Love Accidentally actress, 54, claimed she endured repeated verbal and physical abuse and alleged that Phypers, 52, threatened that she would “disappear” and that he would end his own life if she ever reported him to police.
Richards provided photographic evidence showing herself with a black eye from an alleged dispute in 2022, claiming he caused her at least three concussions and would often call her “degrading profanities.”
“Throughout our relationship, Aaron would frequently violently choke me, violently squeeze my head with both hands, tightly squeeze my arms, violently slap me in my face and head, aggressively slam my head into the bathroom towel rack, threaten to kill me, hold me down with his knee on my back to the point where I would have to plead with him to get off me so that he would not kill me and hack into my laptop and phone and download all of my text messages,” Richards claimed in docs submitted to Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday, July 16, alleging that he “would cry, beg me to stay, and promise to get help.”
Richards stated that she has been living in a townhouse since 2023 after moving out of the family home “due to marital issues” that year, claiming Phypers has defied her requests to remain out of all three properties she leased for several purposes “yet he has repeatedly entered the townhouses unexpectedly.”
“Aaron owns at least eight unregistered guns and multiple bullet proof vests,” she continued, claiming she feared for her safety. “As with nearly all of Aaron’s abuse of me, I was afraid that Aaron may kill me. I am 5’4” and Aaron is 6’2” and weighs more than 200 pounds.”
Superior Court of California
She cited a recent incident that took place on July 5, during which Phypers allegedly “chased me and grabbed both of my arms forcefully and pushed me and dragged me to the ground.”
Richards continued, “Aaron also threatened to hack my cell phone and iCloud account and release all the information on the internet.”
She alleged the day prior that Phypers “repeatedly got within two inches of my face and screamed at me degrading profanities including calling me a c**t w***e and a piece of s**t” on July 4.
Star can report that Phypers has been ordered to stay 100 yards from Richards and her property, including her home and car. TMZ was first to report the news.
In a statement to Us Weekly, Phypers denied Richards’ claims in the filing, telling the outlet, “Not true. Conjured up. I have the real evidence.”
This development comes after Phypers filed for divorce on July 7, listing the date of separation as July 4. Richards and Phypers have been married since September 2018.
Lisa OConnor/AFF-USA.com / MEGA
Prior to his divorce filing, Richards’ daughter Sami Sheen — shared with ex Charlie Sheen — shared a cryptic TikTok about walking away from tumultuous relationships.
“If you’re dating someone toxic, but you don’t really know if they’re toxic,” Sami, 21, said, asking her followers to imagine having a daughter in this situation. “It’s like I would tell her to break up with him, block him, move on. Like, he’s a piece of shit, treats her like s**t.”
Amid the latest development, fans have recalled disputes that took place between the now-estranged couple, including one incident while filming season 10 of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills that unfolded during Kyle Richards’ event, which aired in 2020.
“Don’t tell me what to say. I’m going to crush your f*****g hand. Stop it,” he said at the time.
“Zero tolerance,” Richards’ then-costar Sutton Stracke said in response during the RHOBH reunion. “Zero. Unacceptable.”
Garcelle Beauvais added, “I didn’t hear it on the show, but I saw it on social media and that’s when I was like, ‘Oh my God!’ And I was, you know, I was worried.”
Phypers has not yet responded to the filing. He and Richards are due in court on August 8.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org.