Denise Richards seeks permanent restraining order against Phypers

Denise Richards and her estranged husband Aaron Phypers faced a Los Angeles courtroom this week as Richards sought to convert a temporary restraining order into a permanent one and the couple continued to spar over allegations of abuse, infidelity and money. The hearings, held October 6 through 8 at the Los Angeles Superior Court, have featured testimony from both parties, witness statements and competing court filings that include requests for emergency funds and lists of potential witnesses.

Richards, 54, testified about multiple incidents she says amounted to physical and verbal abuse over the course of the marriage, including episodes she says produced concussions and other injuries. She described an incident while recovering from surgery in which she says Phypers struck her head and shoved her against a bathroom fixture, and a separate episode on a hotel trip in which she says he squeezed her head and slammed her into the floor. In court a recorded message Richards sent to Phypers was played in which she told him, "I really thought you were my soulmate when we got married."

Phypers, 53, has denied the allegations of abuse and has accused Richards of fabricating claims to...