Ryan Phillippe’s ex-girlfriend has filed a lawsuit against the actor for allegedly beating her in a drunken rage.
Elsie Hewitt, 21, claims the actor kicked, punched and threw her down a flight of stairs during a fight that happened on July 4 of this year.
According to court documents obtained by People, Ryan — who shares two children with ex-wife Reese Witherspoon and one with actress Alexis Knapp — had left a party after “being ignored [by Hewitt].” The Playboy model alleges that she then went to Ryan’s house to pack up her belongings when the attack took place.
“He grabbed Hewitt’s upper arm so tightly that his grip left heavy bruises on her arm hours later. He then braced his body and violently threw her down his staircase as hard as he could,” the documents claim.
“When Hewitt finally made it back to the top of the second staircase to pick up her belongings, Phillippe repeatedly grabbed Hewitt, struck her, cornered her, kicked her, and aggressively pushed her to the ground.”
The Blast reports that police issued an Emergency Protective Order against the the Shooter star, 43, on July 6. However, the order expired July 12.
Elise is seeking $1 million in her lawsuit, citing chest wall pain, severe bruising and abrasions.
Ryan, who is perhaps most well-known for his role in the cult film Cruel Intentions, has since denied the allegations.
“As a staunch advocate for the health, well-being and equality of women, Ryan is completely devastated that these false allegations have been made and circulated,” his rep said in a statement to People. “Domestic violence is an incredibly serious issue and fabricated and proven false claims should not be used to unjustly slander the falsely accused. The claims are false.”
Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Philippe married in 1999, and called it quits a few years later. They share two kids together — Ava, 18, and Deacon, 13.
The Guess model has also addressed the claims, sharing a lengthy Instagram post with her 400K followers.
“We spend a lot of time on here showing our happiest moments and it’s easy to assume someone’s life is perfect,” she began.
“Sometimes it’s crazy to me that people show interest in me/my life when I’ve shared so much more of what I’m doing and how I look as opposed to who I really am.”
“I’m a very private person but there are some tribulations I’ve been facing recently so I wanted to say thank u guys for your love, thank you to those who have been there for me, and thank you for those in my life who haven’t, for teaching me a good lesson.”
She concluded: “I’ll keep working hard and working on lifting my spirits 🕊 and if anything, just take this as a positive reminder to be the best and kindest you can be in a struggling world full of enough suffering and hatred.”
If you or anyone you know if suffering domestic violence, contact 1800 RESPECT for help.
