**Aaron Phypers’ Cousin Backs Denise Richards in Divorce Battle, Alleges Abuse**
*Updated Oct. 6, 2025, 6:27 p.m. ET*
Aaron Phypers’ cousin is backing Denise Richards in her ongoing divorce battle, claiming she witnessed the actress’ now ex-husband abuse her, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
**Cousin Alleges Witnessing Abuse**
Kathleen McAllister made the shocking allegations on Monday, October 6, during a court hearing concerning Richards’ request to make her temporary restraining order against Phypers permanent.
“I saw Aaron hit Denise, and immediately she had a really bad black eye,” McAllister claimed during her testimony. “I’m literally in shock now to this day about it.”
Earlier this year, Richards shared a photo of herself with a black eye, accusing Phypers of causing the injury. During the hearing, McAllister — who worked at Phypers’ medical office in Malibu for five years — revealed how Phypers allegedly struck Richards with the palm of his hand.
“[Denise] was in shock, I was in shock,” she recalled.
**’Horrific’ Acts of Abuse Described**
According to McAllister, the couple’s fighting often escalated, with one particular argument triggered by Phypers accusing Richards of placing “listening devices” in his office. She said alcohol was involved during the incident.
“It was an evening of chaos and arguing that kept escalating,” she said in court.
Phypers, 53, filed for divorce from the 54-year-old actress on July 7, 2025, citing their separation date as July 4. Despite their split, both have continued exchanging accusations, each alleging horrific behavior by the other.
McAllister testified that she witnessed “horrific” abuse by Phypers during their relationship, including an incident where he “pinned [Richards] against the concrete wall where his truck was parked at the office.”
“He was choking her and her head slammed against the [wall] and caused a concussion,” McAllister claimed. “She was just really upset, in pain, disoriented. [I was] concerned she could have died.”
**Disturbing Details of Abuse**
In another fight, McAllister stated she heard “thrashing” in the bathroom. She alleged Richards suffered a brutal head injury after Phypers slammed her head on a toilet paper rack.
Adding to the disturbing details, McAllister claimed she heard Phypers threaten to kill Richards “several times.”
When asked if she feared for Richards’ life, McAllister responded, “We both were. He threatened to kill us.” She added, “He just would be raging and threatening that if we told anybody, he’d kill us all. As abuse escalated through the years, he exploited our empathy.”
Before her testimony, Richards’ lawyer revealed that McAllister agreed to speak under the condition her name be kept off the witness list because she is “deathly afraid of Mr. Phypers.”
**Phypers Denies Allegations**
Phypers has not directly responded to the claims made in McAllister’s testimony. However, he did deny ever striking Richards during an interview with Inside Edition.
“It looks like makeup,” Phypers said when shown a photo of Richards with the injury. “I did not cause a black eye, bruise, or anything.”
He also accused Richards of fabricating the abuse claims out of anger. “She’s upset I publicly dumped her to the world, and she’s mad. So how does she retaliate? File a bogus abuse claim,” he stated.
Since filing for divorce, Richards has accused Phypers of domestic violence and was granted a temporary restraining order against the wellness guru.
The couple is scheduled to appear in court on October 8 to determine whether the restraining order will be made permanent.
https://radaronline.com/p/aaron-phypers-cousin-testimony-claims-choked-denise-richards-died/