Mel Gibson Cops a Plea

Posted Aug 17th 2006 2:00PM by TMZ Staff

TMZ has learned Mel Gibson's lawyer went to the Malibu Courthouse Thursday and appeared with the prosecutor to reveal a plea deal. Gibson has agreed to three years probation, but will avoid jail time. Gibson was ordered to attend one year of AA meetings. For the first four-and-a-half months he must attend five times a week. For the remainder of the time, he must attend three times a week. Gibson must also pay $1200 in fines and penalties as well as one hundred dollars in restitution.

Gibson volunteered to do a public service announcement on the hazards of driving under the influence. He also volunteered to enter a rehab program immediately.

Under the deal, Gibson pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor of driving with a .08 blood alcohol level or higher. The misdemeanor count of driving under the influence was dismissed. The infraction of driving with an open container of alcohol was also dismissed.

Under California law, Gibson will have his driver's license restricted for 90 days.

Gibson's lawyer initially went to Division 3, but Judge Terry Adamson refused to take the plea because she is a neighbor of Gibson's. The case was moved to Division 1 where Judge Lawrence Mira took the plea. A number of celebrities have passed through Mira's courtroom, including Nick Nolte, Nicole Richie, and Kim Delaney.

Gibson was not in court for the plea.

Click here to check out the plea bargain documents

Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Mel Gibson

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(Page 19 of 19)Previous 15 Comments

271. mel skated from the law if it was an avg person would they get away with that kind of treatment i dont think so and besides how times did he do this before its true the wealty and famous just buy justice once again oh yeah how long will he lose his licence for:?it would not make any difference for him hes got lots of money can hire a driver

Posted at 3:09PM on Aug 20th 2006 by ted karpey

272. personally Mel Gibson does not need to apologize to anyone. He said out loud what other people think. I heard the same remark 48 yrs ago from my father back when America was America Mel Gibson does not owe anyone anything for his remarks and he has the right to freedom of speech the same as the rest of us. Sono bandaid to put on the jewish population who may have been offended and the liberal BS. Have a GOOD-NIGHT Mel Gibson take care of yourself and your family keep on truckin

Posted at 12:44AM on Aug 21st 2006 by marnie beers

273. Mel made a mistake a lot of people have and quite frankly the press made a mountain out of a moehill, he did say bad things but he was drunk all drunks say bad things and he has been punished enough, leave him and his family alone and allow him to recover

Posted at 2:28AM on Aug 21st 2006 by Barb Burleson

274. I believe as a christain we are to be the examples for all. As a celeberty christain we should be even a bigger example for all. when kids look at him and see he got away with a dui they thing it is ok for them too.. what a shame he blew it. we must forgive him for his sins, but not excuse him of them.

Posted at 7:53AM on Aug 21st 2006 by barb

275. I thought ther was freemdom of the press, I guess not on tmz. they just removed my comment.

Posted at 7:56AM on Aug 21st 2006 by barb

276. I will not support this page again as you are bias toward christains

Posted at 7:58AM on Aug 21st 2006 by barb

277. Hi Mel have you gone to the Aa meeeting at center ? try it just one timegLORIA SPEECHS EVRY MORNING AT 11 AM LOVE W

Posted at 1:12PM on Aug 22nd 2006 by joan wendorf

278. Mr. Gibson
I n 945 I was twenty years old . Also I was part of the International REd CRoss. In Paris at la gare du Nord , myself and 100 volunteers took care of Concentration camps prisoners. coming from Germany. I am now 82. Once awhile these scenes, the smells, the face of the children. are hunting me. Yes Sir the children. Believe me the holocost existed and possibly still exist today. You are a too brilliant man to follow these disparing pictures and comments. I loved the Passion, I cried a lot. As a Roman Catholic I will pray for you your familiy and in Particular your children

Posted at 4:11PM on Aug 22nd 2006 by claudeobrien

279. I think its ashame that this situation with Mel Gibson got all this coverage. Why can't people understand he is a human just like the rest of us and make mistakes? No one in the world is perfect. I think all of us has made mistakes and some we are not proud of but hey we learn from them. I think its terrible that people go judging others. Who cares what Mel does in his own time? Thats his business! Why worry about what he does? I think people need to worry about their own lives instead of someone they don't even know. I love his movies and I won't stop watching them over this. Let him live his own life and all you people live yours. He isn't perfect just like all the rest of us. Get over it and move on.

Posted at 3:53PM on Aug 23rd 2006 by Sue

280. When A Regular Person Gets A DUI, Its Just A Fine 3 Hots And A Cot And A F*cked License, But Mel Gibson Is Getting The Raw End Of The Stick, Hey Sh*t Happens Alcohol Makes You Say And Do Dumbsh*t, "END STORY", So Leave Mr. Gibson Alone, Not To Mention He's One Of The Most Amazing Actors
Out There, And I Guess When You Are Of Such An Elite Level
In The Spotlight, Privacy Dosn't Exist.

Posted at 8:18PM on Aug 23rd 2006 by Peter St James

281. WHY WONT MEL GO TO THE AA LADY, THAT HOLDS THE MOST YRS SOBER IN AA .IN THE CITY OF LOS ANGLES? IF IT WORKS FOR HER FOR ALMOST 50 YRS MAYBE BY THEGRACE OF GOD IT WILL WORK FOR HIM. THANK YOU MEL FOR LISTENING TO THE VOICE OF GOD

Posted at 5:15PM on Aug 26th 2006 by Joan Wenddorf

282. iM GOING TO CONT MEL TO WRITE COMMENTS ABOUT YOUR RECOVERY, IBECAUSE I KNOW YOU CAN OVER COME THE THE DISEASE WITH THE HELP OF GOD AND ALL THE PEOPLE THAT LOVE YOU IN THE WORLD, YOU ARE A STRONG MAN MEL, LETS DO WHAT GOD PUT YOU HERE TO DO, AND THAT ISTO HELP LEAD THE ADDICTED OUT OF THE WORLD OF INDDICTION AND INTO THE WORLD OF RECOVERY, LETS;S PUT IT THIS WAY; GOD PICK MOSES TO LEAD HIS CHILDREN OUT OF THE LAND OF SLAVELY FROM THE PHAROE INTO THE THE PROMISE LAND WTH JUST A ROD TO HELP LEAD THEM, GOD HAS CHOSEN YOU TO LEAD HIS CHILDREN OUT OF THE WORLD OF ADDICTION INTO THE PROMISE LAND OF RECOVERY WITH THE 12 STEPS TO LEAD YOU. SO MEL LETS GET BUSY WITH THE TRIP THAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO TAKE, TO THE PROMISE LAND OF RECOVERY. LOVE W.

Posted at 3:47PM on Aug 28th 2006 by Joan Wenddorf

283. Mel, you could apologize until the end of time, and you will never be forgiven. That's just the way it is. You made a mistake with your DUI, and you apologized for your comments, twice. Don't do it anymore because it really, truly won't matter. This will be remembered for decades to come. Forget about it...your true fans, like me, already have.

Posted at 10:09PM on Sep 12th 2006 by KT

284. Would you people quit living your lives through the movie stars? Look at your own pathetic lives and start taking that apart. People who live in glass houses shouldnt throw stones. We are all human and make mistakes, if you are so perfect by God you should be dead!! He should be able to have a private life. Our children should not be looking up to the movie stars on how they should be when they grow up. If you were a good parent your children would be looking towards you, not people like mel gibson.

Posted at 4:25PM on Oct 14th 2006 by Eileen

285. Disgusted Diane

creamdkempie@aol.com

I was married to a drunk and coke addict. While I was with him he had 2-3 DUI's.
YEARS after I'd left him, I found out there was another DUI.
God only knows how many more there were I never knew about.
In Wisconsin where the Government PRIDES themselves, (JUST FOR STARTERS), on being, Non-prejudicial, TOUGH on Drunk Drivers, and oh yea, don't let me forget to throw in DEAD BEAT DADS.
That SOB could afford Atty's that got him off the hook for that last DUI. Took him a year and a half to fight it...but he went free.
I called the court house and asked WHY he never did the MANDATORY jail time for this DUI???
Only response I received was a befuddled, "Wow, I have no idea".
Meanwhile, I didn't receive aprox. $30,000 in Child support over the years because he was a self-employed contractor who worked under the table. He made enough to support his habits and Atty's but not enough for the IRS to give a damn the 3 times he was reported right down to bank accounts he had with *Power of Atty* to back my findings up.
To add insult to injury (literally) this prick had been awarded primary placement of our 2 young children just a year before this DUI.
Family Court didn't think his drinking was a major issue and *recommended* he get treatment. He never did, instead he kept his live in girlfriend who was also a drunk and addict (but she had 2 degrees (... woo hoo) and Family Court thought she was "very stable and good for Tony and the kids". They believed her when she told them she drank too much in College but had talked to a Counselor and didn't have a problem now.
He had the kids for 3 years. He neglected to fed them. Left them home alone and he battered them and Child Protective Services in Madison Wisconsin did NOTHING but confront him IN FRONT OF MY KIDS!
Afterwards he would *punish* them for talking.
They finally stopped telling me what was happening. It never changed anything anyway.
He used to tell me, "if you don't like it, take me to court". He knew I didn't have the funds.
At one point, he left my daughter with lice in her hair for a week. When I went to pick them up for one of my two per Month *scheduled weekends* I could see the lice crawling out of her hair and unto her face. I spent the weekend disinfecting her, the car and everything in my Apt.
Fortunately after 3 years he couldn't keep a girlfriend to pick up most of the pieces and he said, "You can have them back. I don't want them."
So back to Mel Gibson. At least he provides for his children and is not abusive. I felt him doing jail time would be worse for his children that what he received. Betty Ford's was a great idea. That should have been a part of the picture.
Final point...We are bitching about this when it's the System!
It is broken for both the rich and the poor.
I'm not rich and neither is my ex.
Another case in point.
Why in God's name didn't we hang that piss-ant weenie of a judge in the O.J.Simpson case.
O.J. got away with murder because he was a RICH BLACK SPORTS HERO. Some hero.
Wake up people and try and fix it before it's too late (if it's not already)!!!!
America the land of the free?
BULLSHIT.