Denise Richards has been granted a five-year restraining order against her ex-husband, Aaron Phypers, following claims of physical abuse during their marriage. A Los Angeles judge approved the order on Friday, November 7, 2025, which will remain in effect until November 7, 2030.
The restraining order restricts Phypers from contacting Richards, coming within 100 yards of her, and bars him from purchasing or possessing firearms. Additionally, he is prohibited from abusing her or disturbing her peace. If communication is necessary for legal or practical reasons, Richards is permitted to record the conversations. Phypers is also barred from releasing or keeping any images or recordings of Richards. He has been ordered to return Richards' laptop, videos of her surgeries and delete them from his devices and iCloud account.
The decision follows months of legal proceedings after Phypers filed for divorce in July 2025, after six years of marriage. Richards responded to the divorce filing with allegations of abuse and requested a temporary restraining order, which was granted in July. Richards testified that Phypers "caused me at least three concussions" and that she feared for her life. She cited an incident on January 17, 2022, where he allegedly gave her a black eye, and another between March and May 2022, where he allegedly "slammed me up against the concrete wall and my head hit it”. In court, Richards stated in a video, “You hit me one too many times and each time it was getting worse and worse… You did some serious damage".
Phypers has denied all allegations of abuse, stating that he never harmed or threatened Richards. He told "Extra" that the allegations were "absolutely not true" and that Richards has "never been in danger". He claimed that he has only tried to help her and insisted that the previous testimony misrepresents their relationship.
While the restraining order is now in place, other legal issues, including property and financial discussions related to the divorce, are still ongoing and will be addressed separately. Representatives for Richards and Phypers have not yet responded to requests for comment.
