Denise Richards’ Husband Aaron Phypers Slams Abuse Allegations – Is This the End of Their Explosive Marriage Drama?
Denise Richards’ Estranged Husband Aaron Phypers Denies He Physically Abused Her: ‘Harmful and Baseless Claims’
Richards was granted a temporary restraining order on July 16 after detailing several alleged incidents of abuse by Phypers, which he denies
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Aaron Phypers is addressing Denise Richards’ allegations of domestic violence.
Hours after the actress, 54, was granted a temporary restraining order against Phypers, 49, on Wednesday, July 16, he is speaking out. In a statement to PEOPLE, Phypers denies all of Richards’ claims.
“I want to address recent rumors and speculation that have surfaced regarding my relationship with my wife, Denise Richards,” the statement reads. “Let me be unequivocally clear: I have never physically or emotionally abused Denise — or anyone. 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,” it concludes.
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According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Richards detailed several alleged instances of abuse and included photos.
Richards claimed that Phypers, who filed for divorce on July 7 citing “irreconcilable differences,” has “repeatedly abused” her throughout their six-year marriage.
“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 alleged in her request for a TRO.
“Aaron regularly threatened to ‘break my jaw’ and would cry, beg me to stay, and promise to get help — none of which ever happened,” she continued, adding that Phypers allegedly “has caused me at least three concussions.”
Richards further alleged that she has been “afraid” to speak out about the abuse because Phypers “has repeatedly threatened to kill himself and me if I reported him to the police, among his other threats of harm to me and himself if he is reported for his abuse to anyone.”
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Citing July 4 through 14 as the most recent alleged incidents of assault, Richards explained that she asked Phypers and his family to move out of the townhomes she had leased.
She alleged that on July 4 — the day Phypers listed as their date of separation in his divorce filing — he “got within two inches of my face” and “screamed degrading profanities,” including calling her a “c— w—-” and a “piece of s—.”
The next day, July 5, Richards alleged in the court documents that Phypers repeated those comments in front of his father, Steven Phypers, who also “began yelling at me” and threatened to tell the internet that she was a “w—-.”
Later that same day, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum further alleged in the documents that her ex “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.”
When she threatened to call the police, she claimed that Phypers said, “I would like to see the cops take me away, I will blow everything up if they try.”
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Per the documents, Richards claimed that Phypers “threatened that I would ‘disappear’ if I called the police.”
In addition to her allegations that “throughout our marriage, Aaron threatened to kill me and himself and the police,” Richards claimed that Phypers “owns at least eight unregistered guns” and “multiple bullet proof vests.”
Additional allegations included accusations of Phypers going through her phone and laptop while she slept and “grabbed me by the back of my head by my hair and slammed me into the ground” when she attempted to go on a trip without him because he did not trust her.
Richards has requested that Phypers pay for her legal expenses and any other expenses caused by the alleged abuse. She also asked that Phypers attend a 52-week batterer intervention program.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
