Hollywood Divorce Drama Interrupted by Surgery
Former The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Denise Richards has announced that planned surgery next month will significantly delay her ongoing divorce proceedings against estranged husband Aaron Phypers. The 54-year-old actress, known for her role as a Bond Girl, confirmed in legal documents filed on Friday that she will be unavailable for a large portion of December due to medical reasons.
Financial Desperation Claims
The surgery announcement comes amidst increasingly bitter exchanges between the former couple. Phypers, 52, filed an urgent request last Thursday asking the court for an expedited spousal support hearing within 15 days. In dramatic court documents, the unemployed former CEO claimed he faces immediate homelessness and vehicle repossession without immediate financial assistance from Richards.
Phypers stated in his filing: I am in literal danger of being made homeless with no vehicle and no cell phone unless the hearing can be advanced to an earlier date. He further elaborated that his financial situation deteriorates daily, with his pickup truck facing repossession and eviction looming over his head. The Canadian-American ex-CEO claims he's now begging friends for money to eat and requires legal representation for criminal charges he's facing.
Substantial Financial Demands
The unemployed former executive has asked Richards, producer and star of Her Wild Things, to pay him $338,686 to cover outstanding bills. This substantial sum would address expenses related to his truck, storage units, legal fees, and a leased Calabasas home that he says he needs to survive. This request follows his original divorce filing on July 7, where he sought approximately $105,000 per month in spousal support after six years of marriage.
However, LA Superior Court Judge Mark Juhas denied Phypers' urgent request, citing insufficient showing of exigency as the primary reason. The judge also noted court congestion and the packed schedule of Richards' attorney, Brett Berman, as factors preventing an earlier hearing date. The matter is now scheduled for January 7.
Legal Escalation and Sanctions
Richards' legal team has responded aggressively to Phypers' claims. Attorney Brett Berman asked Judge Juhas to impose $2,000 in sanctions against Phypers for what he described as filing an unnecessary and frivolous ex parte application. Berman argued that Phypers' actions were only inflaming the situation and causing legal fees to escalate unnecessarily.
The legal battle has taken serious turns beyond financial disputes. On November 7, Judge Juhas granted Richards a five-year restraining order against her former husband, ordering him to stay away from her, cease threatening or harassing behaviour, stop sharing nude photographs of her, and surrender any firearms to police. These measures followed allegations of physical abuse made by Richards.
Criminal Charges and Denials
Phypers faces serious legal challenges beyond the divorce proceedings. He was arrested on October 17 and charged with two felony counts of injuring a spouse dating back to 2022, along with two felony counts of dissuading a witness by force or threat. While Phypers has denied ever physically harming the Starship Troopers actress, the criminal case continues to develop alongside the divorce battle.
Richards has requested that Phypers pay her legal expenses and any costs related to the alleged abuse, in addition to attending a 52-week batterer intervention programme. Their next regular divorce court hearing remains scheduled for January 5, though Richards' December surgery may cause further scheduling complications.
Public Statements and Moving Forward
Last week at BravoCon in Las Vegas, Richards spoke publicly about her divorce for the first time since obtaining the restraining order. The Illinois-born beauty told audiences: I'm good. It's a process. I have such a great support system. Thank you so much. She acknowledged the difficulty of dealing with personal matters in the public eye, noting that being in the tabloids can be very daunting, especially when reality television makes private life public.
Fans can expect to see Richards back on their screens soon, as she confirmed she'll appear in several episodes of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' 15th season, premiering December 4 on Bravo. While she described her role as just an appearance rather than being a friend of the show, she teased that negotiations about potentially returning to the franchise as a full-time Housewife are ongoing.
