BREAKING: Mel Gibson Gets Plea Deal With No Jail Time

Mel Gibson, 55, was facing criminal charges for corporal injury on a spouse in a domestic violence case brought by his ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva, 40.

On Wednesday the Mad Max star reached a plea bargain with Los Angeles prosecutors in the case. As part of the new deal, Gibson will plead no contest to a lesser charge of misdemeanor battery. This means he will face no jail time, Us Weekly reports.

Grigorieva accused Gibson of punching her in the head and face in January of 2010. Gibson maintains that he did hit her during an argment, but only to shock her out of harming their infant daughter, Lucia, over whom the ex-couple is engaged in a heated custody battle. "I slapped Oksana one time with an open hand in an attempt to bring her back to reality," Gibson officially stated after the incident, according to PopEater. "I did not slap her hard; I was just trying to shock her so that she would stop screaming, continuing shaking Lucia back and forth."

Blair Berk, Gibson's lawyer, issued a statement explaining the plea bargain. "I know from almost 20 years as a criminal defense lawyer that sometimes justice can come for a client at too high a personal price," he said. "That is particularly so for Mel, whose right to due process can only be exercised in this case with an enormous media circus attached. Mel's only priority throughout all of this has been that the best interests of his young daughter Lucia and the rest of his children be put first in any decisions made."

Gibson will appear in court to enter the plea on Friday.—KIMBERLY STEELE