The ongoing drama between Denise Richards and her estranged husband Aaron Phypers has taken a serious turn, with Richards accusing Phypers of violating a temporary restraining order she obtained against him.
In court documents filed on July 28 and obtained by PEOPLE, Richards, 54, demands that Phypers, 49, return her laptop and refrain from sharing any information found on her electronic devices. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum insists that Phypers “return to me all pictures, recordings and cell phones of mine” and that he “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 of my electronic devices.”
Richards further requests that Phypers deliver the items to her attorney’s office for collection, citing multiple instances where she claims he “has repeatedly violated” the restraining order “on multiple occasions” by sharing “private information … that he stole” with the media since the order was issued on July 17. According to Richards, this behavior is “disturbing to my peace.”
The documents reference recent interviews Phypers has given where he claimed to possess photos and text messages allegedly proving Richards had an affair and physically abused him.
Richards’ divorce attorney, Brett Berman, strongly denies Phypers’ accusations in a statement to PEOPLE, calling them “false.” Berman also accuses Phypers of violating the restraining order by “disseminating private information from Ms. Richards’ cell phone and laptop, which he stole.”
“We have warned Mr. Phypers in writing not to disseminate any information from Ms. Richards’ stolen cell phone and laptop but, he continues to do so,” Berman added.
Phypers pushed back, saying “Nothing was stolen, and nothing is missing — except, perhaps, Ms. Richards’ moral compass.” After Richards’ latest court filing, he issued a statement denying the claims: “I absolutely deny the false allegations that I violated the restraining order or stole Denise’s laptop or cell phones.”
He further stated, “These claims are not only untrue — they are being weaponized to damage my reputation and distract from the truth.”
Phypers alleges that it was Richards who took his phone without permission and physically assaulted him when he tried to retrieve it, later discovering it “smashed and hidden in a black trash bag.” He described the device as “my personal property, and it contained years of private memories, messages, and evidence of our life together.”
Adding context to their relationship, Phypers said, “We shared everything — phones, iPads, laptops” during their marriage, noting that Richards “often insisted on transparency” between them.
He concluded his statement by warning, “Her legal team’s efforts to twist the narrative and create false evidence are deeply unethical and will have serious consequences. Everything being claimed can be disproven. And I trust that the truth will come to light.”
Phypers initially filed for divorce on July 7 after six years of marriage, citing “irreconcilable differences” and listing their separation date as July 4.
Just ten days later, Richards was granted a temporary restraining order against Phypers, accusing him of domestic violence.
In her court documents, Richards revealed she was “afraid” to report Phypers to the police, alleging he had “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.”
The actress alleged Phypers caused her “at least three concussions,” that he “owns at least eight unregistered guns” and “multiple bullet proof vests,” and that he “threatened that I would ‘disappear’ if I called the police.”
Phypers firmly denied these allegations, calling them “baseless claims” in a statement to PEOPLE.
“Let me be unequivocally clear: I have never physically or emotionally abused Denise — or anyone,” he said. “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.”
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