Mel Gibson settles for $750,000 with Grigorieva (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Actor Mel Gibson will pay the mother of his 22 month-old daughter $750,000 and get joint custody of the child, ending a bitter custody and financial dispute that badly damaged his Hollywood career.

The "Braveheart" director and his former musician girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva agreed to a settlement detailed in a Los Angeles Superior Court hearing on Wednesday following a more than year-long war of words.

Judge Peter Lichtman banned both Gibson and Grigorieva from writing books about their relationship, which unraveled in early 2010 amid accusations of violence and extortion.

"I would like to thank your honor for bringing this matter to a reasonable conclusion," Gibson told Lichtman at Wednesday's hearing.

Grigorieva, who had been seeking millions of dollars from the Oscar-winning actor, thanked Lichtman for "the tremendous help to resolve this situation."

The acrimony between the couple became public a year ago when taped phone calls were leaked online in which Gibson was heard ranting, cursing and insulting Grigorieva.

The leak appeared to have been aimed at putting pressure on the actor to increase an initial settlement offer to Grigorieva that was reported to be around $15 million. Los Angeles prosecutors later decided against charging Grigorieva with extortion.

In March, Gibson admitted slapping Grigorieva during an argument and was sentenced to three years probation.

The widely-heard tapes further tarnished a reputation damaged by Gibson's 2006 anti-Semitic tirade following a drunk driving arrest in Malibu.

His manager quit, he lost a cameo role in "The Hangover: Part Two" because other people refused to work with him, and the release of his movie "The Beaver" was delayed and ultimately flopped at box offices in May.

Gibson, who was once estimated to be worth $900 million after a string of hit movies like "Lethal Weapon" and "The passion of the Christ", reached a private settlement with his wife Robyn in June that wrapped up their divorce after 28 years of marriage.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Mel Gibson, Oksana Grigorieva settle child custody (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Mel Gibson and his ex-girlfriend on Friday settled a deeply bitter custody dispute over their young daughter which led to the Oscar winner's plea of no contest to domestic violence earlier this year.

Los Angeles Superior Court said in a statement an agreement was complete and terms will be heard on August 31. A spokesman for the "Braveheart" film director confirmed the parties had settled.

"We appreciate all the judge's help," the spokesman said in a statement.

It was not immediately clear whether the custody deal between Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva over their daughter Lucia settled all of the legal problems between the two. Gibson's spokesman declined further comment.

Gibson and Grigorieva had a long-running relationship that involved the breakup of his marriage and the birth of their daughter but it began to unravel in early 2010. Grigorieva claimed Gibson punched her and broke her tooth during a heated argument in January that year.

In March, the "Passion of the Christ" director admitted in front of a judge that he slapped Grigorieva with an open hand during an argument in which he was concerned for the safety of Lucia. He pleaded no contest -- the equivalent of guilty -- and was sentenced to three years probation.

Gibson has alleged Grigorieva tried to extort money from him beyond a reported $20 million settlement that resulted from their breakup by using a series of audiotapes of insults and a racial slurs hurled at her over the telephone. Prosecutors declined to charge her in the matter.

The tapes, posted last year on celebrity website Radaronline.com, damaged Gibson's career. His manager left, a movie's release was delayed and others refused to work with him.

Roughly one month later, Gibson said in a television interview he regarded the leak of the phone calls to the media as a "personal betrayal."

(Reporting and writing by Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by John O'Callaghan)

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