Oksana Grigorieva vs. Mel Gibson: A Custody - Financial Dispute - Extortion - Domestic Violence
Mel Gibson in Plea Deal in Battering Case - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Mel Gibson Pled "No Contest" to Battery on March 12, 2011 His supporters in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's department were fighting to free Gibson from criminal charges after he was accused of striking Oksana Grigorieva in the face during an argument. The investigation started to focus on Oskana Grigorieva, the victim and her attempts to be compensated for that attack and for child support as they share a child. Daniel Horowitz was instrumental in having charges pursued against Gibson and having no charges filed against the victim, Oksana Grigorieva.
Here is a Larry King interview where Oksana Grigorieva accuses Mel Gibson of hitting her and waving a gun. Gibson initially denied hitting Grigorieva with a closed fist, insisting his slap was only intended to “bring her back to reality.”
Here is a TMZ article where Horowitz makes it clear that Oksana told the truth.
Watch TMZ video of Horowitz on the Gibson/Grigorieva case.
Who is Oksana Grigorieva?
Oksana Grigorieva, is a highly talented musician and former girlfriend of actor Mel Gibson, found herself entangled in a complex legal situation. The case revolved around child custody, financial matters, allegations of domestic abuse and attempts by Mel Gibson to have her criminally charged with extortion. In a classic blame the victim and protect the movie star criminal investigation, the LA County Sheriff grossly favored Mel Gibson and tried to implicate the victim, Oksana Grigorieva.
Did Oksana Grigorieva Marry Mel Gibson?
No. Daniel Horowitz represented Oksana Grigorieva based upon legal obligations arising from having a child together, to seek reimbursement for physical harm caused by Mel Gibson against her and to protect Oksana from having criminal extortion charges filed against her by the highly biased law enforcement agencies that protected the Hollywood Star Mel Gibson.
Key Details
Child Custody and Settlement:
Mel Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva had a daughter together. The custody dispute over their young daughter escalated into a hard-fought legal battle. Ultimately, Mel Gibson settled the case by agreeing to pay money to Grigorieva and establishing a trust for their child. The settlement also included provisions for Grigorieva and their daughter to live in a multimillion-dollar home, which would be sold when the child turned 18.
People ask "What settlement did Oksana Grigorieva receive from Mel Gibson?" but the answer is complicated. She received rights to her music, financial benefits and other protections but much of the award related to their child and that portion is confidential. An earlier settlement did not go through and it was "puffed" because it contained substantial tax penalties for Oksana. These penalties made the earlier settlement highly inflated compared to what she actually would have received.
Criminal Charges
The District Attorney's office investigated Mel Gibson for battery charges and they also investigated Oksana Grigorieva for extortion. The claims were that he struck her in the face but that she then attempted to trade those charges and recordings of Gibson's violence and hate filled rants in exchange for money. Horowitz represented Grigorieva. As reported by the LA TImes "Det. Rodney Wagner of the Sheriff’s Department stated his view that the department’s six-month investigation turned up evidence of “implied threats” against the actor by Oksana Grigorieva and her lawyers." These were the lawyers who represented Oksana Grigorieva at the start of the case. Horowitz called this potential charges outrageous and vigorously defended both Oskana Grigorieva as his client and further defended the hard work of her prior attorneys against this attack by the Sheriff's department. Ultimately Oksana Grigorieva was not charged and Mel Gibson was convicted on a no contest plea.
As Oksana told Good Morning America, she recorded Mel Gibson because she feared for her life.
Negative Publicity Machine
The Hollywood publicity machine attempted to paint a negative picture of Oksana Grigorieva but as featured in Wikipedia she was and is a tremendously talented pianist and singer.
"Russian singer-songwriter and pianist. She studied music in Moscow and completed conservatoire studies in Kazan, before moving to London. After studying music at the Royal Academy of Music, she moved to the United States, with periods spent living in New York City and Los Angeles, California. She taught music in the U.S., and patented a technique of teaching musical notation to children"
Mel Gibson's Rants
Audio recordings of Mel Gibson's angry rants were released to the public. A compilation of the Mel Gibson rants can be found here. At the 9:30 mark she talks about him hitting her while she held their child.
Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder has described anti-semitic and anti-gay comments made by Mel Gibson. This article includes the following:
“We were at a crowded party with one of my good friends,” she said. “And Mel Gibson was smoking a cigar, and we’re all talking and he said to my friend, who’s gay, ‘Oh wait, am I gonna get AIDS?’ And then something came up about Jews, and he said, ‘You’re not an oven dodger, are you?’”
Daniel Horowitz’s Role:
Oksana Grigorieva was represented by attorney Daniel Horowitz during the legal proceedings. He took Mel Gibson's deposition and defended Oksana during her deposition.
Horowitz skillfully negotiated on behalf of his client, ensuring a favorable outcome in terms of financial support and housing arrangements. At one point, Mel Gibson made an offer valued at $16 million, but it was structured in a way that diminished its actual worth to less than $1 million and to shift huge tax burdens from Gibson to Grigorieva. Unlike the earlier settlement that the LA County Sheriff claimed was obtained by extortion, the Horowitz negotiated settlement was approved by the courts and untainted by any implication of wrongdoing.
The offer also required Grigorieva to surrender all evidence related to the criminal case against Gibson. Horowitz rejected this offer, emphasizing that it could have exposed Grigorieva to criminal charges for destroying evidence. Ultimately Mel Gibson was convicted of criminal charges for his assault against Grigorieva.
Meanwhile an investigation against Oksana Grigorieva claiming that she extorted Mel Gibson was ongoing when Horowitz took the case. He was successful in preventing these charges from being filed. See Today news article titled "Mel Gibson's Surprising Ally: Investigators Pushed Hard for Oksana Extortion Charges". Unknown to the public, except for the work of one ethical prosecutor and her supporters, Gibson may have unfairly escaped prosecution and instead due to politics, the victim would have been arrested.
Legacy and Resolution:
The settlement, which included 16 years of rent-free living, periodic payments, and attorney fees, was estimated to be worth $3 million to $4 million. While the settlement resolved many issues most of the settlement is confidential as it involved a minor child. Mel Gibson also walked away from any rights to the album or music created by Oksana Grigorieva. For example her song Back from Russia and the other songs on her album "Beautiful Heartache" are now entirely her property.
What is Oksana Grigorieva Doing Now?
You can follow Oksana's music on her Instagram Account. or her Facebook Page.
Daniel Horowitz is one of the nations' best known television legal commentators and trial attorneys. Daniel has represented author Terry McMillan, Talk Show Host Michael Savage and the Savage Nation, actor Al Pacino and many other national figures.
See more about Daniel Horowitz in the News.
Daniel Horowitz is one of the nations' premier trial lawyers. He is a frequent television legal commentator. His high profile clients include Oksana Grigorieva, Actor Al Pacino, Author Terry McMillan and he is the lawyer for Michael Savage and the Savage Nation.