Denise Richards took the stand to testify about the alleged abuse she experienced at the hands of her estranged husband, Aaron Phypers, Us Weekly can report.
On Tuesday, October 7, Richards, 54, appeared at the Los Angeles Superior Court in Downtown Los Angeles for the second day as part of her effort to turn her temporary restraining order against her ex into a permanent order, which would require him to stay 100 yards away for the next five years.
During questioning, Richards was grilled about a surgery in May, where Phypers assisted her during recovery. The actress stated Phypers, 53, was with her “the night [she] was released from the surgeon,” and helped her the next couple of days. She said he helped her use the bathroom and other things.
Richards said the surgery was to fix damage to her implants, which she believed was caused while she was filming season 3 of Special Forces, and to perform a tummy tuck.
She claimed Phypers hit her at the hotel. On the stand, Phypers’ lawyer asked her if she was feeling pain from the surgery, to which she replied, “I didn’t feel pain from my drain site prior to him hitting me and jamming me into the toilet paper holder.”
Richards had reported the alleged incident in her restraining order petition, claiming in the court docs that Phypers went through her laptop when she was asleep at the hotel on May 21. She claimed that while using the toilet, “[Phypers] smashed me on the top of my head with the palm of his hand while screaming at me repeatedly, ‘Give me your fucking phone.” She said, “I was disoriented from the surgery and was fearful he may seriously injure me, especially since I was recovering from a complex surgery, so I gave him my phone.”
For his part, Phypers has denied all allegations of abuse and accused Richards of creating false allegations to deflect from her own problems.
On Tuesday, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum also detailed three separate incidents over the years where Phypers’ alleged abuse caused her injuries.
Speaking about an April incident on a trip home from Chicago, Richards said Phypers was “squeezing [my] head so hard, my back was on the floor of our hotel room.”
The actress claimed Phypers was slamming her head into the floor, and it “felt like he was crushing my skull.”
Phypers’ lawyer then cross-examined Richards about the claims in her restraining order petition. He asked Richards if she called the police after Phypers allegedly struck her eye during one incident. She said she did not.
When asked if she had a doctor evaluate whether she had a concussion from Phypers’ alleged assault, she said she did not because Phypers allegedly did not want her to.
Phypers’ lawyer asked Richards about calling her ex after the divorce filing in July. She stated she called him on September 2 to talk about the landlord of their former marital home coming to the home. She subsequently denied calling him multiple times on September 3.
The actress further denied messaging a third party to contact Phypers on August 18 but admitted to messaging him on August 21, which was weeks after the temporary protective order was issued.
Phypers’ lawyer asked Richards if she understood Phypers was not allowed to talk to her.
In response, she said, “I understand he’s supposed to stay 300 ft away from me.”
She said that she sent the message when her dad was “right next to me, so I felt safe.”
She went on to detail their breakup, which happened on July 4. She said Phypers was at her townhome when he became “very angry” at her.
“I had just recovered from a full facelift and I still had stitches behind my ears, and I felt extremely vulnerable,” she said.
“He would get as close as a couple of inches from my face,” Richards added. She said he would call her a “cheating whore” and “lying bitch.”
“Emotionally, it was hard for me to understand,” Richards testified in court. “Especially with having what he has done for a living, working in the wellness space, that he would know how much that this would affect me emotionally too. And it just made me feel vulnerable, it made me feel scared, it made me feel sad. It made me feel intimidated by him. He’s very big.”
Richards claimed Phypers left the townhome and went to another home they used to share. The next day, the actress claimed her ex and his father showed up at the townhome and threatened to release explicit photos of her
Richards also accused Phypers of taking the back of his hand and hitting the back of her left ear before he left the property.
“I still had stitches on one side of the ear … which caused some bleeding and so much pain because I had incisions on both sides,” she said.
Richards claimed Phypers threatened she would “disappear” if she called 911.
During her testimony, Richards also detailed several other alleged incidents where Phypers abused her during the relationship.
Phypers has adamantly denied that he abused Richards during the relationship. He told Us, “These accusations are completely false and deeply hurtful. Denise and I, like many couples, have faced our share of challenges, but any suggestion of abuse is categorically untrue. I have always tried to approach our marriage with love, patience, and respect. I ask for privacy as we navigate personal matters, and I hope that the public and media will refrain from spreading harmful and baseless claims.”
As Us previously reported, Phypers filed for divorce on July 7. He listed the date of marriage as September 8, 2018, and the date of separation as July 4, 2025. He demanded spousal support from Richards due to her alleged $250,000 a month income.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
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