NOTE: The following article contains disturbing details. Please read at your own discretion.
Denise Richards has accused her estranged husband Aaron Phypers of years of alleged physical and verbal abuse.
Richards, 54, filed a temporary restraining order against Phypers, 52, claiming that he “regularly threatened to ‘break my jaw’ and would cry, beg me to stay, and promise to get help − none of which ever happened.”
In court documents, filed on July 16 and viewed by USA Today and other outlets, Richards wrote that Phypers “has caused me at least three concussions.”
“Aaron has told me that he has left recording devices to record me while I was alone in hotel rooms and at my townhouses,” Richards alleged in the documents.
Richards said that throughout her marriage to Phypers, he has “threatened to kill me and himself and the police. He owns at least 8 unregistered guns.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum also attached several photos to the filing, including one in which she has a black eye, claiming it was a result of Phypers’ abuse.
“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 wrote, according to People.
In the legal documents, Richards also detailed a recent incident that she claims took place over the July 4 weekend. She alleged that Phypers beat her and hacked into her private messages. She urged the judge to take into account the seriousness of the alleged attacks and said she feared it would happen again.
“On July 4, 2025, Aaron repeatedly got within two inches of my face and screamed at me degrading profanities,” Richards wrote. “Aaron repeatedly grabbed my left arm tightly.”
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“On July 5, 2025, Aaron came into my townhouse with his father and got within inches of my face and began yelling at me… with his right hand violently hit the bill of my hat with the back of his hand, which caused my hat to fly off my head,” she added.
Richards said later that same day her estranged husband “chased me and grabbed both of my arms forcefully and pushed me and dragged me to the ground.”
“I landed hard on the stairs causing me immense pain,” she wrote. “Aaron stole my laptop and sent private text messages he had stolen from my laptop without my permission. Aaron threatened that I would ‘disappear’ if I called the police.”
The Wild Things actor claimed that she didn’t report the past alleged abuse because she believed it would result in more damage.
“Until now, I have been afraid to report Aaron to the police or file for a restraining order because he has repeatedly threatened to kill himself and me if I reported him to the police,” Richards wrote.
Richards also alleged that while she was asleep, Phypers went into her laptop and downloaded everything from her iCloud account and transferred it to his laptop.
The Drop Dead Gorgeous actor also alleged that Phypers screamed at her and smashed her over the head while she was on the toilet, while demanding that she hand over her phone. Richards is asking that Phypers have no contact with her and that he stays away from her home and workplace, as well as return the electronic devices she alleges he stole from her.
She also noted that she wanted Phypers to be “prohibited from using, delivering, copying, printing or disclosing any text messages, emails, photos, notes or other content from my cell phone or laptop or any other electronic device.”
The Denise Richards & Her Wild Things star requested that Phypers pay for her legal expenses and other expenses caused by the alleged abuse. She is also requesting that Phypers attend a 52-week batterer intervention program.
She was granted a temporary restraining order from the Superior Court of California on July 16.
Earlier this month, Phypers filed for divorce in Los Angeles, citing “irreconcilable differences” and listing their date of separation as July 4.
He is also requesting spousal support from Richards and asking to keep their assets and debts as separate property, including his 2018 Indian Dark Horse motorcycle, his Shelby GT500 sports car and power tools.
In the court documents, Phypers claims that Richards is making over US$250,000 per month from her OnlyFans account, TV appearances and other brand deals. He says he has had no income in the last 12 months after closing his business, Quantum 360 Club, in 2024.
He claims that they spend about $105,000 per month and estimates that $20,000 is spent on clothes, $18,000 on rent, $25,000 on food, $15,000 on entertainment, $8,000 on utilities, $5,000 on maintenance and repairs and an additional $5,000 on laundry and cleaning.
He also said their phone bills cost $500 and expenses associated with their cars and transportation are around $1,500. Phypers also claimed that Richards spends over $7,000 per month on child care.
The former couple do not share any children together, but Richards had previously said that Phypers was in the process of adopting her daughter Eloise, 14.
Richards is also mom to daughters Sami Sheen, 21, and Lola Sheen, 20, whom she shares with her ex-husband, Charlie Sheen. Richards filed for divorce from Sheen in March 2005 after nearly three years of marriage. The divorce was finalized in November 2006.
Phypers was previously married to Desperate Housewives star Nicollette Sheridan from 2015 to 2018. They finalized their divorce in August 2018 before his wedding to Richards.
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If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse or is involved in an abusive situation, please visit the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime for help. They are also reachable toll-free at 1-877-232-2610.
