Hollywood star Denise Richards has obtained a temporary restraining order against her estranged husband Aaron Phypers after making explosive allegations of repeated domestic abuse during their six-year marriage.
In court papers she filed in California and is provided to PEOPLE, Richards, 54, tells a heart wrenching story about what life was like behind closed herself detailing physical attacks, emotional abuse and terrifying threats of violence by Phypers, 49.
All these outrageous accusations came up a few days after Phypers divorced Richards and on July 4th they officially broke up.
Richards claims that the abuse was not a one-time event but it was an ever-present dark cloud in their relationship.
She gave excruciating details of how Phypers, allegedly strangled her by choking, gave her a slap on the face, grabbed her head and arms, and even smashed her head on items such as fixtures in the bathroom.
Richards, in her testimony, said, I would have to beg him to get off of me so that he would not kill me. She further alleged that he had hacked her gadgets to track her personal chats and movements.
The court documents also involved the reported disgusting instances of Phypers threatening to break her jaw and kill her and even harm himself in the case she reported his activity to the police.
In her filing, Richards said that she was afraid because Phypers had a least eight unregistered firearms in his possession as well as several bulletproof vests.
Among the latest and the bloodiest, there was an episode, which allegedly happened in July 4-July 14, 2025.
According to Richards, in this time, when she had requested Phypers and his family to move out of a property she had rented, Phypers had grown more aggressive.
She was explaining how one time during July 4, Phypers was screaming profanities barely inches away of her face, using the most offensive names to call her. The following day, she alleged that the verbal attack worsened in presence of Phypers father who supposedly added to the degrading comments.
It is said that things went physical as Phypers was reported to have grabbed Richards by the arms, shoved her forcefully and dragged her to the floor, which created a severe physical pain on her.
According to the actress, Phypers allegedly told her, when she threatened to call the police, that, I would like the cops to take me away, I would blow everything up, I would call the cops and I would blow everything up, when she threatened to call the police.
Richards also added that the abuse had a toll on her mentally, as she lived in fear all the time. She said that Phypers dictated all her moves including not allowing her to travel alone.
She claimed in one of the accounts that after she said that she had a work trip, Phypers dragged her by the hair and hit her to the floor, screaming, “You are not cancelling my flight. I will come along with you. I do not believe in you.”
On July 16, the court acceded to the request of Richards to issue a restraining order against Phypers that prohibited him to contact or approach her.
The actress also requested the court to compel Phypers to surrender her personal devices and also not to copy or share any of her personal information. Moreover, Richards asked Phypers to cover her legal expenses and take part in a 52-week batterer intervention program.
The court records include attached images purporting to show bruises on the body of Richards, including an apparent injury that the woman allegedly received prior to attending the Race to Erase MS Gala in June of 2023.
According to Richards the bruise was as a result of a physical confrontation with Phypers just prior to the event.
Although the restraining order covers Richards, it does not cover her children. She has two adult children with her ex-husband Charlie Sheen (Sami, 21, and Lola, 20) as well as adopted 14-year-old daughter, Eloise.
Even though it was reported that Phypers was trying to adopt Eloise legally, Richards explained in the papers that the couple does not have any minor children.
Phypers, who has been divorcing this month, has given irreconcilable differences as the cause of the break-up. As of this writing, he and his representatives have not made any form of public comments on the allegations of abuse.
Richards, who has appeared in such films as Wild Things and Starship Troopers, and who has also appeared on television in the show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, has not issued a statement beyond what is contained in the court documents.
Fans and the entertainment circuit are shocked by the harrowing details of her accusations. The online community has been flooded with support with many coming forward to support Richards in her bold stand.
This emerging news has given rise to new discourses of domestic violence, especially the concealed Hollywood relationships. New details will emerge as the legal case proceeds.
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