Reese Witherspoon Expected to Testify in Ryan Phillippe's Assault Case With Ex-Girlfriend
Reese Witherspoon is scheduled to testify in her ex-husband, Ryan Phillippe's, civil trial involving his ex-girlfriend, Elsie Hewitt.
Phillippe is being sued by Hewitt for $1 million in damages, after she alleged to the Los Angeles Police Department in 2017 that he hit, kicked and punched her, as well as picked her up "like a doll" and “threw [her] down a flight of stairs" during an incident that happened on the Fourth of July. The 45-year-old actor has vehemently denied all of Hewitt's allegations.
The case is now set to go to trial on Oct. 15, and 43-year-old Witherspoon is scheduled to testify. Phillippe and Witherspoon were married from 1999 to 2007, and share two kids together -- 20-year-old daughter Ava and 15-year-old son Deacon. Witherspoon is now married to talent agent Jim Toth, with whom she shares her 6-year-old son, Tennessee. Phillippe also has an 8-year-old daughter, Kai, with actress Alexis Knapp.
In court documents obtained by ET on Wednesday, Phillippe tells his side of the story and claims he was defending himself against Hewitt during the Fourth of July incident. The documents state that the two went to a party in Malibu, California, on July 3, 2017, though Phillippe didn't want to, and that he ended up leaving the party and going home with another female companion.
"Phillippe was shocked at Hewitt's see-through outfit, and became concerned that his children might see him with the scantily-clad young woman at Nobu -- a location frequented by paparazzi," the documents state.
According to the documents, he was later awakened at his home by loud noises, when Hewitt allegedly entered his property without permission at 2:30 a.m. with a female friend. Phillippe says he was concerned about the safety of his female companion when Hewitt confronted him outside of his bedroom.
"Phillippe was very concerned about the safety of his female house guest present in his bedroom, especially with a loud, angry, inebriated, and jealous Hewitt sensing another girl in Phillippe's bedroom," the documents state. "Phillippe attempted to block Hewitt's blows to his body, and frantically tried to impede Hewitt's progress toward the bedroom."
Phillippe denies Hewitt's claim that he pushed her down the stairs. He claims that he picked her up in front of his bedroom and carried her to the stairs, but before he reached the top of the stairs, he slipped, causing her to fall back into his arms.
Hewitt filed a police report after the incident in 2017 and went to the hospital. She also got a temporary Emergency Protective Order against Phillippe, which was served to him by the LAPD on July 6, 2017, ordering the actor to stay 100 feet away from her.
According to Hewitt's lawsuit, she and Phillippe's argument stemmed from his jealousy when she got attention from other men at the party. The documents claim that Hewitt had gone to pick up things from Phillippe’s house and that once there, he was "discernibly drunk and high." She claims in the documents to have given him warning that she would be stopping by, therefore claiming she was not trespassing. Her lawsuit included several photos of bruises on her body, which were obtained by ET.
In a statement in September 2017, Phillippe said he was "disgusted" by Hewitt's allegations.
"I am saddened and disgusted by the false allegations being circulated about me," the statement reads. "At the time these allegations were initially made, I fully cooperated with law enforcement and a thorough investigation was conducted. As a man, raised by women, in a household where women's rights, feminism and advocacy were very much at the forefront, I am sickened that my name can be found in any article where domestic violence of any kind is being alleged."
"I have been a public figure for almost 25 years and many untrue things have been said or written about me in the past," he continued. "That is something you learn to accept if you choose a profession like mine. This time is different. Domestic violence is a very real and tragic issue faced by many women the world over and should never be used to vengefully slander or as a ploy for monetary gain. This is wrong. This is not who I am. Every one of my accuser's allegations are false."
ET spoke with Phillippe in July 2017, when he talked about the "tons of stuff" he and Witherspoon do that embarrasses their kids. Watch the video below for more:
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