Aaron Phypers, the estranged husband of Denise Richards, was arrested in Los Angeles, Calif. on Friday after appearing in court for a restraining order hearing.
Phypers, who appeared alongside Richards on her Bravo reality show, “Denise Richards & Her Wild Things,” was reportedly escorted out of the courtroom and taken into custody after the State of California filed four criminal charges against the actor — including two counts of injuring a spouse, co-habitant, fiancé, boyfriend, girlfriend or child’s parent and two counts of dissuading a witness by force or threat.
The criminal complaint was filed against Phypers at the Van Nuys Courthouse on Wednesday.
Per court records obtained by TheWrap, the alleged incidents took place in January 2022 and May 2022. The dates coincide with allegations of abuse Richards previously made against Phypers while giving testimony in court earlier this month. At the time, Richards — who appeared in court over the temporary restraining order she was granted against Phypers this summer — accused her ex of giving her “at least three concussions.”
A representative for Phypers did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Phypers’ attorney Michael Finley did tell PEOPLE on Friday that they expect Richards’ allegations of abuse “to be proven false and for [Phypers’] to be exonerated.”
“When a criminal case is filed, the evidence has not been fully laid out and considered,” Finley added in his statement. “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.”
A judge granted Richards a continuance for the temporary restraining order during Friday’s hearing. The continuance runs until Nov. 7.
Phypers and Richards began dating back in 2017, when the former’s divorce to actress Nicollette Sheridan was still being finalized. Less than a year later, the pair tied the knot in a Malibu-based wedding, which was documented on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”
Phypers filed for divorce back in July, where he cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason. However, Richards responded to the divorce filing with accusations of abuse in court documents and was granted a temporary domestic violence restraining order.
