Mel Gibson Domestic Abuse Claims: Dropped By Oksana Grigorieva!

In a shocking move, Oksana Grigorieva dropped her domestic violence claim against Mel Gibson at a court hearing today in the couple's custody case.

Last month, Mel pleaded no contest to battery, ending that chapter of the pair's legal circus. But the battle for custody of Lucia, 1, remains unresolved.

In fact, it's been so contentious that today's move came out of left field, as Oksana actually extended an olive branch in an attempt to settle the case.

Oksana's lawyer, Dan Horowitz, told Judge Scott Gordon that they would no longer claim Mel's alleged violence as grounds to strip him of custody.

Mel's lawyer, Stephen Kolodny and the judge were visibly shocked.

The domestic violence protective order Oksana obtained - prohibiting Mel from contacting or harassing her - has also been terminated as of today.

Sources close to Oksana Grigorieva say she would like to be able to communicate directly with Mel, rather than going through intermediaries.

No word on whether Mel feels the same way, but it's a good first step in putting this ugly mess behind them for the good of their little girl.

The only potential bad news? Kristian Otto Herzog's book won't sell nearly as well if these two are actually getting along now. Poor guy.