Admissibility of Mel Gibson Tapes Unclear, Experts Say
Career-damaging audiotapes of Mel Gibson using racial slurs and telling his girlfriend she deserved to be hit were apparently recorded without his permission, making it unclear whether they could be used if domestic violence charges were filed against him.
The Los Angeles Times blog L.A. Now interviewed legal experts about the tapes, obtained and released by RadarOnline.com. The tapes were expected to be turned over to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, according to TMZ.
Experts told L.A. Now that California law requires both parties to consent to the recording of a phone conversation, and failure to obtain permission usually keeps such tapes out of court.
There is an exception for domestic violence cases, if the purpose of making the tape was to aid police, experts said. If the aim was to sell the tapes for profit, for example, they wouldn’t come within the exception, Stanford Law School professor Robert Weisberg told L.A. Now.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Gloria Allred: No How, No Way Would I Represent Mel Gibson”
