Aaron Phypers has maintained his innocence after being accused of giving estranged wife Denise Richards a black eye, claiming in court that she “bruises easily.”
Phypers, 53, took the stand on Wednesday, October 8, telling his attorney that “yes,” it’s safe to say that Richards “bruises easily.”
His response came after he was shown a photo of Richards, 54, with a black eye from January 2022, which Phypers said he never saw until after he filed for divorce in July.
Phypers claimed he didn’t have a memory of the black eye, but did recall Richards being “bruised” around the eye at the time in question.
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“She would bruise her arms, all sorts of stuff,” he alleged. “She’d bruise herself while cooking … falling down.”
Phypers claimed he witnessed the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum getting injured “often.”
When speaking about the bruises Richards sustained throughout their marriage, Phypers noted, “It may have been accidentally [done], I don’t know.”
His lawyer reminded Phypers that he only had to testify whether he witnessed Richards giving herself the bruises, to which he responded, “No. I don’t feel she was intentionally doing it.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Phypers claimed during his testimony, “I don’t abuse my wife,” when his attorney was laying out different times Richards claimed he got physical with her. His lawyer then asked about a July 4 incident, in which Phyper allegedly grabbed her arm “aggressively.” He denied the claims.
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Phypers and Richards were married six years before they split earlier this year. Amid their divorce, Richards was granted a temporary restraining order against her estranged husband.
“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, aggressively slam my head into the bathroom towel rack, threaten to kill me,” she alleged in her July petition, claiming he would, “Hold me down with his knee on my back to the point where I would have to plead with him to get off me so that he would not kill me and hack into my laptop and phone and download all of my text messages.”
Richards took the stand on October 8 in an effort to obtain a long-term restraining order against Phypers, claiming that he abused her while they were married. Phypers has denied all abuse allegations.
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After Phypers cousin, Dr. Kathlreen McAllister, testified in court that she saw him hit Richards at his wellness center, he took the stand to defend himself. McAllister alleged earlier in the trial that Richards had a black eye from the assault.
Phypers, however, claimed on Wednesday that he did not get physical with Richards in 2022 when she reportedly received the black eye.
When asked in court on Wednesday whether he struck Richards, Phypers replied, “Absolutely not.” He also denied grabbing Richards’ hair and choking her as Richards claimed he did during another alleged incident between the exes.
After Richards’ makeup artist Pamela Brogardi claimed in court she heard Phypers threaten the actress, he again denied the allegations. “No. Absolutely not,” he told the court when asked whether he threatened to break Richards’ legs.
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He also denied ever threatening to kill Richards or calling her a “whore” in July. “I’ve never called her a bitch. … I’ve called her a liar yes, but a bitch no,” Phypers later testified.
Prior to her marriage to Phypers, Richards was married to Charlie Sheen. The exes, who called it quits in 2006, share daughters Sami, 21, and Lola, 20. Richards is also the mother of daughter Eloise, whom she adopted in 2011.
The next court hearing in Richards’ case for a long-term restraining order against Phypers will be on Friday, October 17, at 8:30 a.m. The court is hopeful to conclude the hearing in one session, but is planning for two days, Us Weekly can confirm. If a second date is needed, it will take place on Friday, November 7.
