Ryan Phillippe is suing his ex-girlfriend Elsie Hewitt after she claimed he brutally attacked her.

The 43-year-old actor has filed a lawsuit against his 21-year-old former lover - whom he dated from April this year until July - in response to the legal documents Elsie made against him in September, which saw her accuse the 'Shooter' star for being violent towards her after an argument on July 3.

The Guess model previously claimed she went to Ryan's house with a friend to pack up her things after a party, which Ryan had left earlier after ''being ignored'' by her, when a physical altercation ensued.

But Ryan's counter suit has seen him deny the allegations made against him, and slam Elsie's tale of events as being completely ''fabricated'', as he has claimed she broke into his home in a bid to ''extort money''.

In court documents, which have been obtained by PEOPLE, it states: ''[Hewitt] broke into Phillippe's home in the middle of the night without permission ... [and she] fabricated a story in an unjustified attempt to extort money.''

Ryan has also claimed that Elsie was ''extremely intoxicated'' during the encounter.

The star - who has 18-year-old daughter Ava and 14-year-old son Deacon with his ex-wife Reese Witherspoon, as well as six-year-old Kai with Alexis Knapp - feels ''sickened'' by the ''false'' domestic violence accusations made against him because he grew up around women and was an advocate for women's rights.

The statement continued: ''[Ryan] was raised by women in a household where women's rights, feminism, and advocacy were very much at the forefront, and he is sickened to have been falsely accused of domestic violence.''

The 'Cruel Intentions' star has since taken to social media to shut down any potential ''mis-characterisations'' made against him in the future.

He tweeted: ''to be clear:

''i have not had a 'girlfriend' for over a year now & have barely dated anyone since.

''any other labels or mis- characterizations, from media or gossips, related to anyone, briefly, connected to my personal life, are false. (sic).''