• 21
  • July
    2010

There's a new twist in the complicated and very public dispute between Mel Gibson and his ex-girlfriend, Russian singer Oksana Grigorieva. An official with the Los Angeles County sheriff's department said Wednesday that sheriff's detectives are now looking into whether Grigorieva tried to extort money from Gibson in connection with the recordings she secretly made of their phone arguments.

Gibson has been under investigation by the sheriff's department following allegations by Grigorieva that he abused her and their infant daughter. Gibson's attorneys met with detectives on Tuesday and have reportedly denied any domestic violence by Gibson.

Several tapes have been made public recently by Radar Online and feature recordings of volatile arguments between Gibson and Grigorieva. The couple is involved in a contentious custody dispute over their daughter and Grigorieva taped phone conversations between them. Gibson is heard on the tapes using racial slurs and derogatory terms for women. He also apparently admits to hitting Grigorieva at one point. The tapes were used in confidential court hearings for the custody dispute.

Legal experts have said that the tapes may not be admissible in the event of a criminal trial for domestic violence. In California, both parties must give consent in order to record a telephone conversation. Since Gibson was unaware of the recordings, the tapes may be inadmissible as evidence and it may have been a crime for Grigorieva to have secretly recorded them.

Source:

Detectives examining alleged extortion attempt by Mel Gibson's ex-girlfriend (Los Angeles Times)