Mel Gibson returns to court for custody fight

[November 23, 2010]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Mel Gibson returned to court Monday to resume a custody fight with his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, but neither side tipped their hand about how the proceedings went.

The pair attended a daylong hearing that was closed to the public. Neither Gibson nor Grigorieva spoke to reporters afterward, and their attorneys declined comment.

The former couple have been locked for months in a bitter fight over money and custody of their 1-year-old daughter. By law, the proceedings are sealed, leaving court watchers to catch glimpses of the Academy Award-winner and Russian musician as they walk to and from the courtroom.

The custody hearing is scheduled to reconvene Dec. 15.

Grigorieva has been publicly vocal in recent months, speaking to People magazine and in a televised interview last week with Larry King about the implosion of the couple's relationship. She has accused Gibson of striking her and brandishing a gun during a fight in January, but prosecutors have not yet decided whether to file charges.

Investigators continue to look into Gibson's claims that Grigorieva attempted to extort him. The actor-director has not publicly spoken about the case or Grigorieva's allegations.

Monday's hearing was the second time Gibson and Grigorieva appeared in the same courtroom. They sat quietly on opposite sides of the aisle, both clad in black, before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon took the bench and closed the courtroom.

[Associated Press]

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