JUSTICE HAS A DEAF EAR

Will Mel's Recorded Madness Be Enough To Protect Oskana?

By Elizabeth C.

THE SLUDGE KEEPS GETTING THICKER IN THE SLIME WRESTLE between Mel Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva.

Allegations of Mel's death threats and beatings now give way to claims of Oksana extorting money and falsifying injury.

TMZ reports that the L.A. County Sheriff's Department is investigating whether Oksana tried to extort money from Mel in exchange for keeping the disturbing audios of his abuse secret. "Extortion allegations have been brought to our attention and we are certainly going to be looking at that," a sheriff's spokesman says.

Besides the revelation that Mad Mel's touched in the head, the most shocking thing about this seedy soap opera is that Oksana's recorded evidence doesn't seem enough to protect her from suspicion.

Even the ersatz sophisticate Whoopi Goldberg seems to think that all Oksana had to do was call the police.

Yet studies have shown that police have historically not taken the crime of domestic abuse seriously.

Most cases of abuse and rape boil down to “she said, he said,” and too often men get away with abuse.

That same problem of proof often complicates issues of child custody, leaving children vulnerable in the custody of an abusive parent.

The ugly torment between Mel and Oksana now centers around their custody battle over nine-month-old Lucia. Oksana has finally spoken out about the allegations against her, saying, "Mel is lying. He's lying. There's no extortion, and there's no texts and no emails."

"I'm fighting for my child,'' she continued. "[Mel's] just a liar, and it will come up in the court, just wait."

Will Oksana's recorded evidence of a partner-gone-mad be enough to protect her in court? And if not, what ever be?