Denise Richards won a key legal victory in her first court appearance in Los Angeles on Monday, when a judge granted her limited access to a home she shared with estranged husband Aaron Phypers and imposed restrictions on his proximity to the residence.
According to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail, the judge allowed Richards to enter the Los Angeles County home on September 13 to retrieve personal items, including property belonging to her mother and the couple's dogs. The order requires Phypers to remain at least 100 yards away from the home. A separate request by Richards for a domestic violence restraining order was postponed until October.
The court also ordered Phypers to return an iPhone and a black MacBook that Richards says were taken without authorization. The documents require Phypers to return the devices by the end of the day Tuesday; if he does not possess them, he must file a declaration to that effect. Phypers has told the court he does not have the phone and computer in his possession, the filings state.
Phypers had submitted a request to continue the hearing. The judge set a videotaped deposition for Phypers on Friday and denied a further continuance in part because Richards' lawyers argued additional delay would prejudice their client and prolong her distress.
Phypers filed for divorce from Richards on July 7, stating the couple had separated on July 4 and citing irreconcilable differences. In filings and public statements since then, both parties have made sharply conflicting allegations. Richards has alleged repeated abuse during the relationship. Phypers has denied those claims and has accused Richards of infidelity, physically assaulting him and destroying his phone.
In a note to family and friends that was later published by Page Six, Phypers called for an intervention and said Richards had long struggled with substance issues involving prescription medication. "Some of you know this has been an issue for over 20 years," he wrote, adding that he had witnessed her pass out from substances and that she had endangered others, including while driving with their 14-year-old daughter, Eloise.
Richards' attorney, Brett Berman, disputed Phypers' allegations and said Phypers has continued to harass Richards since being served with a temporary restraining order. In a statement to People, Berman said Phypers disseminated private information from Richards' cell phone and laptop, which he alleged had been stolen.
Richards, 54, is the mother of three daughters: Sami, 21, and Lola, 20, from her marriage to Charlie Sheen, and Eloise, 14, whom she adopted before marrying Phypers. Richards attended a public event at the TUDUM Theater in Hollywood on September 4.
The judge's orders mark the latest developments in a contentious split that has played out in court filings and media reports. The case will proceed with scheduled depositions and the delayed hearing on Richards' request for a domestic violence restraining order in October.