In 2011, Mr. Gibson pleaded no contest in Los Angeles Superior Court to a misdemeanor charge of battering his former girlfriend as part of a deal with prosecutors that allowed him to avoid jail time. He received a sentence of community service, counseling and three years of probation, and was ordered to pay $570 in fines.

The "Lethal Weapon" star lost his firearm rights as a result of a 2011 domestic violence conviction. A former Department of Justice employee says that a dispute over Mel Gibson and lethal weapons led to her firing.