Denise Richards’ Ex Aaron Phypers Arrested in Court for 'Spousal Abuse'

Denise Richards’ ex Aaron Phypers has been arrested, Us Weekly can confirm.

Richards’ lawyer confirmed to Us that Phypers was charged with “spousal abuse.”

“He’s been arrested outside the court and taken down a nearby escalator. [He] did not come back into [the] hallway,” an eyewitness told Us on Friday, October 17. “Denise is here. She’s calm and talking to her team.” Phypers seemed “confused,” as did his attorney, per the second eyewitness, who noted that the fitness instructor “didn’t seem to understand that he was about to get arrested.”

As Us previously reported, Phypers, 53, appeared in court on Friday alongside Richards, 54, amid their ongoing divorce battle. According to an eyewitness, when proceedings started again after lunch for Richards’ final testimony, there were approximately eight officers standing near the courtroom.

Phypers’ attorney did not acknowledge the arrest when proceedings resumed. The hearing and TRO have been extended to November 7.

Us has reached out to Phypers for comment.

Richards and Phypers tied the knot in September 2018. Earlier this year, Phypers filed for divorce from Richards after six years of marriage. Days later, Richards filed for a temporary restraining order, claiming that her estranged husband had been abusive throughout their marriage.

“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, 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 alleged in her petition.

Phypers denied Richards’ accusations in a statement, telling Us, “These accusations are completely false and deeply hurtful. 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.”

Richards and Phypers appeared in court multiple times throughout October for various testimonies regarding alleged incidents in their marriage. While on the stand on October 8, Phypers denied accusations from his cousin, Dr. Kathleen McAllister, who claimed that she saw Phypers hit Richards at his wellness center. McAllister claimed that the alleged assault gave Richards a black eye.

Phypers stated in court that he did not strike Richards in the eye. He claimed that the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum had been drinking and told him she ran into a pole.

On Friday, Aaron’s mother, Patricia Phypers, testified that she witnessed an alleged incident between her son and Richards.

“It was at the Calabasas home. She threw a can opener,” Patricia claimed while on the witness stand.