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Aaron Phypers was arrested on Friday, Oct. 17, on a felony warrant while in the middle of a hearing with ex-wife Denise Richards regarding her restraining order against him, and his lawyer tells PEOPLE he expects Phypers to “be exonerated”
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Phypers is facing four criminal charges by the State of California for two counts of injuring a spouse, cohabitant, fiancé, boyfriend, girlfriend or child’s parent; and two counts of dissuading a witness by force or threat
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Richards previously accused Phypers of physically abusing her throughout their marriage, but he has denied those allegations
Aaron Phypers has been arrested.
Phypers, 53, was removed from a Los Angeles courtroom and taken into custody on Friday, Oct. 17, two days after the State of California filed a felony warrant against him. The arrest occurred during a break at a hearing regarding ex-wife Denise Richards‘ restraining order against him.
“I have not seen the criminal complaint yet, however, based upon the little that I have been told, it appears to be the same allegations we’re already fighting and I think proving to be false in the domestic violence case,” Phypers’ lawyer Michael Finley tells PEOPLE. “So, we expect it to also be proven false and for him to be exonerated.”
The judge in that case granted Richards, 54, a continuance of her temporary restraining order until Nov. 7 before resting for the day.
According to records obtained by PEOPLE, an 8-page criminal complaint was filed against Phypers on Thursday, Oct. 16, at the Van Nuys Courthouse.
Phypers is facing criminal charges, including two counts of injuring a spouse, cohabitant, fiancé, boyfriend, girlfriend or child’s parent; and two counts of dissuading a witness by force or threat. Three of the alleged incidents underlying the charged offenses took place on Jan 17, 2022, and one on May 3, 2022, per records.
“When a criminal case is filed the evidence has not been fully laid out and considered,” says Finley. “Criminal cases get filed all the time, and they get beaten. Just because a case is filed doesn’t mean it’s going to succeed. I personally believe Aaron, and I don’t believe Denise or her witnesses. We’re feeling pretty confident that we have shown that her allegations are false in the domestic violence case in the divorce court.”
Phypers was booked into the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station near Malibu, Calif., shortly after 5 p.m. on Oct. 17 and is currently being held on $200,000 bail.
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Aaron Phypers and Denise Richards
Earlier this month, Richards stated while on the stand that her estranged husband “caused me at least three concussions” throughout their marriage from physical abuse. She further claimed that she learned of them because Phypers allegedly used equipment at his wellness center on her various times after she complained about headaches, “not feeling good” and “feeling nauseous.”
Richards said in court that one concussion resulted from an incident on Jan. 17, 2022, while another happened sometime between March and May 2022. During that time, Phypers allegedly gave her a black eye after he “slammed me up against the concrete wall and my head hit it” while in the carport at his wellness center.
The third concussion — which Richards claimed was also detected on the equipment at Phypers’ facility — allegedly occurred after an argument at a Chicago hotel in April 2025, during which she claimed he “was squeezing my head so hard” and he “picked my head up.” She testified that it “felt like he was crushing my skull.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum also alleged on the stand that her ex “would often threaten to throw me through the windows and off balconies” of hotels. She tearfully claimed: “He’s almost killed me so many damn times.”
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Denise Richards and Aaron Phypers
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When Phypers, who filed for divorce from Richards in July after more than six years of marriage, later took the stand on Oct. 8, he denied all of Richards’ abuse claims.
“I never physically harmed Denise Richards… I never threatened to harm her… I did not threaten to kill anybody,” he said.
He further claimed that previous testimony from a neighbor and his cousin in Richards’ favor was all “made up.” Phypers added: “A lot of people like to be close to the stars. They’ll do things for them.”
Phypers also denied that he caused Richards multiple concussions and said he did not use equipment from his wellness center to check her for a concussion as claimed during her testimony.
— Additional reporting by Brianne Tracy.
Read the original article on People
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