Aaron Phypers took the witness stand during a court hearing on his ex-wife Denise Richards’ temporary restraining order against him.
During testimony on Oct. 8, Phypers denied all of Richards’ physical abuse allegations. He told the court, “I never physically harmed Denise Richards… I never threatened to harm her… I did not threaten to kill anybody.”
The 53-year-old claimed previous testimony supporting Richards was fabricated.
“A lot of people like to be close to the stars. They’ll do things for them,” Phypers said.
When questioned about specific allegations, Phypers consistently denied grabbing Richards’ hair, choking her, or banging her head. He responded “No, I did not” to each accusation.
July 4 Separation Details
Regarding July 4 – the date Phypers listed as their separation in divorce filings – he denied using profanity against Richards when she asked his family to move out.
He claimed he never called her “a c— whore and a piece of s—” and denied becoming enraged or grabbing her arm that day.
“I’ve never called her a bitch… I’ve called her a liar, yes. But not a bitch, no,” Phypers testified when asked about calling Richards a “lying bitch.”
Phypers also denied threatening that Richards would “disappear.”
When questioned about Richards’ claims that he caused multiple concussions, Phypers denied the allegations. He also refuted her testimony that he used equipment from his wellness center to check her for concussions.
Phone Call Allegations
Phypers, who married Richards in 2018, alleged his ex-wife called him 17 times in less than a week after the temporary restraining order was granted. He claimed he didn’t answer any of the calls.
“She has many phone numbers… some of them she had before and are inactive or she reactivated,” he acknowledged in court.
Phypers’ testimony comes one day after Richards detailed the alleged abuse during her court appearance.
Richards’ Previous Testimony
The actress claimed her estranged husband “caused me at least three concussions.” She testified that Phypers used equipment at his wellness center on her after she complained of headaches, nausea, and feeling unwell.
Richards described three specific incidents:
• A black eye on Jan. 17, 2022
• Being “slammed against the concrete wall” at Phypers’ wellness center between March and May 2022
• A Chicago hotel incident in April 2025 where she claimed he was “squeezing my head so hard”
Richards testified the Chicago incident “felt like he was crushing my skull.”
She also alleged Phypers “would often threaten to throw me through the windows and off balconies” of hotels.
“He’s almost killed me so many damn times,” Richards tearfully stated.
July 4 Confrontation
Richards testified that asking Phypers to leave their shared townhouses on July 4 made him “very angry and volatile.”
“He got very close to me. I had just recovered from a full facelift and I still had stitches behind my ears, and I felt extremely vulnerable,” she said.
Richards claimed Phypers would get within inches of her face, grab her arms, and call her names including “cheating whore” and “lying bitch.”
“It made me feel scared, it made me feel intimidated by him. He’s very big. I’m a lot smaller than him,” she testified.
Richards also described a September incident when Phypers returned for his laptop. She alleged he pushed her down stairs and left with her laptop, purse, and credit cards.
Legal Timeline
Richards received the temporary restraining order on July 16, eleven days after Phypers filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences.
In court filings obtained by PEOPLE, Richards alleged Phypers would “frequently violently choke me” and “violently slap me in my face and head.”
She claimed he would “threaten to kill me” and “regularly threatened to ‘break my jaw.'”
Phypers has consistently denied all accusations. In a Sept. 15 filing, he alleged Richards “attacked” and “harassed” him “many times.”
He provided call history screenshots showing dozens of missed calls from Richards after the restraining order was approved.
“I have not abused her and will not abuse her,” Phypers stated in the filing. He claimed Richards has been “frequently” calling and messaging him and his father, calling her behavior harassment and stating “she is the aggressive one.”
