Actor Mel Gibson has given an explanation in court for why he slapped Oksana Grigorieva, the mother of his daughter.

In court documents obtained by TMZ, Gibson admitted to slapping Grigorieva, but claimed that he did so in an effort to snap her out of a fit of hysteria that endangered their two-month-old daughter, Lucia.

Previously, Grigorieva had claimed that Gibson had punched her in the face and threatened to kill her. The incident occurred in January 2010 and led to a police investigation.

According to Gibson’s account, Grigorieva took their daughter out of her bassinet and threatened to harm her if Gibson did not stop yelling at her to leave his house.

Gibson claims that Grigorieva held Lucia between them during their argument, and he became worried that the infant might suffer from “shaken baby syndrome” due to her mother’s increasingly hysterical behavior.

Gibson insists that he did not hit Grigorieva with a closed fist but merely slapped her to bring her back to reality.

Despite Gibson’s explanation, the incident led to a criminal investigation and a custody battle over Lucia.

Grigorieva was granted custody of the child, while Gibson was ordered to pay child support and undergo counseling.

The couple’s relationship ended shortly after the incident.

This is not the first time that Gibson’s personal life has come under scrutiny. In 2006, he was arrested for drunk driving and was recorded making anti-Semitic remarks to a police officer.