Mel Gibson Pleads No Contest to Misdemeanor Battery

Mel Gibson pleaded no contest Friday to a  misdemeanor battery charge stemming from an incident with his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva.

The 55-year-old actor was placed on three years probation, sentenced to 16 hours of community service and ordered to pay a $400 fine. In addition, the Academy Award winner must attend 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling.

As part of an agreement with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, Gibson will not receive jail time.

The hearing was held at the Los Angeles County airport branch courthouse.

Grigorieva claimed that Gibson threatened her with a gun and punched her at his Malibu home. 

When a defendant in a criminal case enters a "no-contest" plea, it means he is not admitting guilt, but is stating that he will offer no defense. The person is then subject to being judged guilty and punished as if he had pleaded guilty or had been convicted. The principal difference is that the defendant retains the option of denying the same charge in another legal proceeding, such as a civil suit.

Grigorieva did not attend the hearing.

Prosecutors have chosen not to file charges against Grigorieva, who was investigated for allegedly  trying to extort money from Gibson by threatening to release secret recordings of Gibson's rants in telephone conversations.