Aaron Phypers’ cousin Kathleen McAllister is supporting Denise Richards’ allegations of abuse.
McAllister made a virtual appearance during a Monday, October 6, court hearing focused on Richards’ request to have a temporary restraining order against her estranged husband made permanent. Per People, McAllister alleged that she witnessed her cousin assaulting Richards in January 2022. At the time, she was working in Phypers’ wellness center in Malibu.
“I saw Aaron hit Denise and immediately she had a really bad black eye,” she claimed on Monday. “I’m literally in shock now to this day about it.”
McAllister, who claimed that Phypers struck Richards with the palm of his hand, added that The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum was “in shock. I was in shock.”
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According to McAllister, the exes had been quarreling: Phypers, 53, accused Richards, 54, of installing “listening devices” in his office. She claimed “there was alcohol mixed in,” which heightened an “evening of chaos and arguing [that] kept escalating.”
Both Richards and Phypers appeared in a Los Angeles court Monday amid their bitter legal battle. The latter filed for divorce on July 7 after six years of marriage. Phypers demanded that Richards pay monthly spousal support, after which Richards asked for a temporary restraining order. She claimed that “Aaron would frequently violently choke me, violently squeeze my head with both hands, tightly squeeze my arms, violently slap me in my face and head.” The court granted her request.
Speaking to the court on Monday, McAllister detailed a separate altercation that took place in Phypers’ office in March 2021. Richards, she claimed, “hid in the bathroom” from her husband.
“Aaron was terrorizing her, and she was looking for support,” she said, per People. “I was in my office, and she was texting from the bathroom.”
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McAllister characterized the first few months of 2022 as an alleged “period of escalating abuse” and “yelling and arguing.” She claimed to have heard Phypers threaten to kill Richards “several times,” and described being fearful for her life as well as Richards.’
“We both were,” she said, claiming, “He threatened to kill us.”
McAllister alleged that Phypers “would be raging and threatening that if we told anybody, he’d kill us all. As abuse escalated through the years, he exploited our empathy.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Phypers for comment.
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Phypers has denied Richards’ allegations that he was abusive during the marriage, previously telling Us in a statement, “These accusations are completely false and deeply hurtful.”
He alleged, “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. I ask for privacy as we navigate personal matters, and I hope that the public and media will refrain from spreading harmful and baseless claims.”
The former couple will be in court through Wednesday, October 8.
If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
