Attorneys representing Oksana Grigorieva, Mel Gibson’s former girlfriend, say she never demanded money in exchange for holding back now-infamous audio tapes of Gibson in an exclusive interview Wednesday morning on TODAY. “She’s a domestic violence victim, she was beaten, she was terrorized, and yet all the media seems to focus on is whether she extorted Mel Gibson, when in fact it’s just the opposite,” said attorney Daniel Horowitz. “This has never been about money, there’s no chance in my view of anything even close to extortion …This is what happens to domestic violence victims, they’re vilified, and we’re trying to set the record straight.” To that end, Horowitz and fellow attorney Martin Garbus told Meredith Vieira that Grigorieva did not leak the tapes. They also released to TODAY exclusive photos of Grigorieva and Gibson in happier times.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Despite all the allegations of domestic violence, the only matter that’s been formally brought to the courts is the custody dispute over Gibson and Grigorieva’s daughter, 10-month-old Lucia. The reason for that, according to Horowitz, is that “the district attorney’s office is in the driver’s seat with this (domestic violence) lawsuit.” Findings of a sheriff’s investigation into the alleged domestic violence against Grigorieva were turned over to the Los Angeles district attorney’s office Aug. 25. Garbus wants the public to know that Oksana has a life of her own, and is a woman of “stature and accomplishment” who had a full life prior to her relationship with Gibson. “She’s not someone who’s being accurately portrayed in the media,” he said. The allegations of violence stem from tapes leaked by Radar Online on July 1, but prior to that, Grigorieva alleged in a restraining order filed June 25 that Gibson punched her in the face "more than once" during a Jan. 6 incident at his Malibu home, breaking a tooth, knocking out a veneer and causing a concussion. Shortly after the restraining order was filed, a Gibson source told People magazine that Gibson was just trying to stop Grigorieva from shaking Lucia "like a ragdoll" and that her accusations are financially motivated. In July, police began to investigate allegations that Grigorieva was attempting to extort Gibson by releasing the tapes. Related story:Jodie Foster stands by Mel Gibson