Denise Richards accused estranged husband Aaron Phypers of violating a temporary restraining order amid their divorce proceedings, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.
Richards filed documents Monday requesting that Phypers return her laptop and stop sharing private information from her electronic devices.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum wants Phypers to “return to me all pictures, recordings and cell phones of mine.” She’s also asking the court to prohibit him from “using, delivering, copying, printing, or disclosing any text messages, emails, photos, notes or other content from my cell phone or laptop.”
Richards claims Phypers “has repeatedly violated” the temporary restraining order on “multiple occasions” by sharing “private information” he allegedly stole.
The filing states Phypers has been disseminating this information to media outlets since the restraining order was issued July 17.
Richards says this behavior is “disturbing to my peace.”
Media Interviews Cited
The court documents point to recent interviews where Phypers claimed he had photos and text messages proving Richards was having an affair and physically abusing him.
Richards’ divorce attorney Brett Berman called these allegations “false” in a statement to PEOPLE. Berman also claimed Phypers was 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 said.
Phypers disputed this at the time, telling PEOPLE: “Nothing was stolen, and nothing is missing – except, perhaps, Ms. Richards’ moral compass.”
Phypers Responds to Latest Filing
Phypers issued a statement to PEOPLE denying Richards’ July 28 court filing.
“I absolutely deny the false allegations that I violated the restraining order or stole Denise’s laptop or cell phones. These claims are not only untrue – they are being weaponized to damage my reputation and distract from the truth.”
Phypers claims it was actually Richards who took his phone without permission. He says she physically assaulted him when he tried to get it back.
He later found his phone “smashed and hidden in a black trash bag.”
“That phone was my personal property, and it contained years of private memories, messages, and evidence of our life together,” Phypers said.
He also claims the couple “shared everything – phones, iPads, laptops” during their marriage and that Richards “often insisted on transparency” between them.
“I have nothing to hide,” Phypers concluded. “Her legal team’s efforts to twist the narrative and create false evidence are deeply unethical and will have serious consequences.”
Divorce Timeline
Phypers filed for divorce from Richards on July 7 after six years of marriage.
He listed July 4 as their separation date and cited “irreconcilable differences.”
Ten days later, Richards requested and received a temporary restraining order against Phypers. She accused him of domestic violence in those court documents.
Richards said she’d been “afraid” to report Phypers’ alleged behavior to police “because he has repeatedly threatened to kill himself and me if I reported him to the police.”
The Starship Troopers actress alleged Phypers caused her “at least three concussions.” She also claimed he “owns at least eight unregistered guns” and “multiple bullet proof vests.”
Richards said Phypers “threatened that I would ‘disappear’ if I called the police.”
Phypers denied physically abusing Richards in an earlier statement to PEOPLE, calling them “baseless claims.”
“Let me be unequivocally clear: I have never physically or emotionally abused Denise – or anyone. These accusations are completely false and deeply hurtful.”
He added that while they’d faced challenges like many couples, “any suggestion of abuse is categorically untrue.”
“I have always tried to approach our marriage with love, patience, and respect,” Phypers said.
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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.
