Denise Richards hired her ex-husband Charlie Sheen’s longtime divorce lawyer to fight her estranged husband, Aaron Phypers, as he pleads for spousal support from her, Luxury Handbag Shopping can exclusively report.
On December 10, Richards, 54, filed court docs informing the court she was swapping out her previous lawyer and replacing him with attorney Mark Gross, who will represent the actress alongside lawyers Ronald Brot and Yumiko Gibson.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star hiring Gross is interesting, given his past with Sheen, 60.
Gross did not work on Sheen’s divorce from Richards, who wed in 2002 and split in 2006, but he represented Sheen when the actor filed for divorce from Brooke Mueller in 2010 and finalized the case in 2011. Sheen and Mueller, 48, have gone back and forth in court for years, and Gross was Sheen’s trusted confidante for a good portion. (Mueller recently filed court docs demanding $15 million in back support and interest. Sheen has yet to respond.)
Richards’ new lawyer didn’t waste any time after being hired and has filed to delay a hearing on Phypers’ motion for monthly support.
Gross argued that the financial information that Phypers, 53, submitted was not filled out properly, and he needs to fix the paperwork before a hearing can be held. One of the issues Richards’ lawyer pointed out was that Phypers’ financial documents said he was the owner of the wellness center Quantum Epigenetics Consulting, “but he failed to state the number of years in that business, and failed to state his income from that business.”
Richards also asked that the case be transferred to a different judge. She believes the judge, Judge Juhas, who granted her a permanent restraining order against Phypers, should be the one to consider if he deserves spousal support. The actress said she intends to offer proof of Phypers’ alleged abuse at any hearing over spousal support.
“The nature and severity of the [domestic violence] will bear on whether the Court will issue [support], and there is no one who is in a better position to make that determination than Judge Juhas,” Richards’ lawyer noted.
In addition, Richards argued Phypers is not entitled to a hearing on support because he , “remains in violation of the order contained in the [restraining order] that required him to return [Richards’] laptop and other sensitive material to [Richards], through counsel, no later than November 10, 2025.”
Richards said her ex now claims “that the laptop he took is not the laptop subject to the order. If [Phypers] is going to argue that the order made by Judge Juhas is a nullity, Judge Juhas would be in the best position to make that determination.” The judge granted Richards’ request and moved the support hearing to January 7, 2026.
As Us previously reported, Phypers filed for divorce on July 7 after six years of marriage. He cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split.
In his petition, Phypers demanded that Richards provide him with monthly support. He claimed she earns over $250,000 per month from OnlyFans, TV gigs and appearances.
In recent court docs, Phypers claimed he has earned no income in the past 12 months.
A couple of days after Phypers filed for divorce, Richards asked the court to grant her a restraining order. She accused her estranged husband of being abusive during the marriage, with him allegedly causing her multiple black eyes. Phypers adamantly denied the accusations. He claimed Richards fell when she was injured and denied ever threatening or assaulting her.
Phypers previously told 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.”
On October 17, Phypers was arrested at the court following his testimony, where he denied hurting Richards.
Prosecutors charged Phypers with two felony counts related to injuring a spouse and two felony counts related to dissuading a witness by force or threat.
The judge granted Richards a permanent restraining order on November 7 after a trial.
