Surprise, surprise. Former A-list actor Mel Gibson is the target of another legal attack. He’s in the limelight due to a more personal matter this time, involving his father and his stepmother. ABC News reports that the stepmom is seeking a restraining order against the star.
The 78-year-old stepmom claims that Gibson has verbally threatened her as well as physically assaulted her. On a more complicated level, she also argues that Gibson has put himself in between her and his father, intentionally damaging their relationship.
Gibson’s father and stepmom are in the process of a sensitive divorce. The father has initiated the split in his elderly age and accuses his estranged wife of elder abuse. She allegedly has withheld the medication that Gibson’s father wants. Gibson has stepped in at the request of his father to support him during the divorce process.
Could the celebrity’s stepmom be using Gibson’s past of alleged violence against him to try to make him and not her look like the bad guy with regards to their behavior related to Gibson’s father? Or is this a matter of an actual violent streak within Gibson playing itself out again? A judge has agreed to schedule a hearing where he will rule whether to issue the restraining order that would keep Gibson away from his stepmom.
Family situations, particularly when they involve the health of a loved one as in this case, can get emotional. There is undoubtedly passion within both Gibson and his stepmom over the treatment of their father and husband. A judge should be able to effectively wade through the emotions and get to the truth of the matter. Is Gibson a true danger to his stepmom, or is her fear unreasonable?
Source: ABC News, “Mel Gibson’s Stepmother Seeks Restraining Order Against Him,” July 3, 2012