A judge in California is orderingDenise Richards' soon-to-be-ex-husband Aaron Phypersto return her laptop. After the former"Real Housewives" starpetitioned the court earlier this week, claiming that Phypers had stolen her computer and "disseminated private information, including nude photographs" to "various news organizations," Judge Nicole Bershon demanded he return the device within 48 hours. In a July 29 order, Bershon forbade Phypers from distributing any intimate or sexual image ofRichardswithout her permission, as well as any other "private" or "sensitive information" he may have downloaded from her phone or computer. The order arrives amid a legal battle in which Richards has accused Phypers of years of physical abuse. The Diddy trial details are worsethan anyone expected. Will how we treat victims change? The pair, who were married in 2018, announced their split earlier this month after Phypersfiled for divorce. Since then, Richards requested and was granted a temporary restraining order. The stolen laptop lies at the center of oneRichards'previous claims – that Phypers, over the July 4 weekend, beat her and accessed her private messages. USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Richards for comment. Representatives for Phypers could not be reached at the time of publication. "Aaron stole my laptop and sent private text messages he had stolen from my laptop without my permission. Aaron threatened that I would 'disappear' if I called the police," Richards wrote in her original request for a restraining order. The longtime Hollywood fixture alleged that while she was asleep, Phypers accessed her laptop and downloaded everything from her iCloud account, taking photos of her private text messages and transferring them to his laptop. She also claimed Phypers screamed expletives at her and smashed her over the head while she was on the toilet, demanding that she hand her phone over. In a July 17 statement toPeople magazineandUs Weekly, Phypers denied his estranged wife's claims of physical and emotional abuse, slamming the allegations as "completely false and deeply hurtful." "Let me be unequivocally clear: I have never physically or emotionally abused Denise — or anyone," Phypers told the outlets. "Denise and I, like many couples, have faced our share of challenges, but any suggestion of abuse is categorically untrue. I have always tried to approach our marriage with love, patience and respect." Cassie's harrowing testimony,the myth of 'mutual abuse' and what domestic violence really looks like In the court documents reviewed by USA TODAY, the "Drop Dead Gorgeous" star chronicled a pattern of alleged abuse at the hands of Phypers, writing, "Aaron regularly threatened to 'break my jaw' and would cry, beg me to stay, and promise to get help — none of which ever happened." In the July 16 filing, she alleged that Phypers had caused her "at least three concussions" and told her that he had planted recording devices in her hotel rooms and townhouses. "Throughout our marriage, Aaron threatened to kill me and himself and the police. He owns at least 8 unregistered guns," she attested in the documents. Several photos were attached at the bottom of the filing, one showing Richards with a black eye, which she claims was the result of Phypers' abuse. Richardsargued that she had refrained from reporting the abuse earlier for fear that it would result in more damage. Richard's lawyer, Brett Berman, told USA TODAY on July 21 that she would not be addressing the dispute in a "public forum" but would be continuing to address her ex's alleged abuse in the court of law. "In addition to the repeated abuse perpetrated by Mr. Phypers against Ms. Richards throughout the parties' marriage, Mr. Phypers has continued to harass Ms. Richards since being served with the Temporary Restraining Order by, among other things, disseminating private information from Ms. Richards' cell phone and laptop, which he stole," Berman wrote. "These actions continue to disturb Ms. Richards' peace," he continued. "We have warned Mr. Phypers in writing not to disseminate any information from Ms. Richards' stolen cell phone and laptop but he continues to do so. Ms. Richards will not be responding to Mr. Phypers' false allegations in a public forum and will be addressing Mr. Phypers' abuse in Court." The "Love Actually" star, who was previously married to fellow actorCharlie Sheenfrom 2002 to 2007, has been with Phypers, a businessman, for seven years. He appeared sporadically on Bravo reality series "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" during her stint on the show as well as on her solo Bravo series "Denise Richards and Her Wild Things." The mom of three and Phypers do not share children together, and the two children Richards shares with Sheen were not mentioned in the restraining order, which the judge partially granted. If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text "START" to 88788. Contributing: Edward Segarra, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Denise Richards photos leaked as star alleges ex stole her laptop