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TMZ: Cooley Cozy With Oksana Grigorieva's Lawyer

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — An online report is shedding light on a cozy relationship between Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley and a lawyer who negotiated a $15 million settlement between actor Mel Gibson and his ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva.

Gibson and Grigorieva are in the middle of a bitter custody fight for their daughter following an explosively bad breakup. Grigorieva has since accused Gibson of abusing her and her daughter and Gibson claims that Grigorieva is trying to extort him.

Both the extortion and domestic violence allegations are under investigation.

TMZ.com reports that Cooley, whose office will decide the fate of Grigorieva and Gibson, attended two fundraisers on his own behalf at the home of Eric George, a Beverly Hills civil lawyer, who hosted the events last year, as the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department investigated the extortion claims.

TMZ reports documents show George contributed more than $8,000 to Cooley in 2010. Of that amount, George contributed $1,992 in August, as the sheriff's investigation of Grigorieva was in progress.

George negotiated a $15 million settlement for Grigorieva during her mediation in May 2010.

TMZ says the DA's office disagreed that Grigorieva extorted Gibson and has all but decided not to prosecute her. Misdemeanor domestic violence charges are expected against Gibson, however.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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