Lawyer: Brooke Sheen wants case dismissed

Aspen, Colo. — Charlie Sheen and his wife were reunited Monday after a judge modified a restraining order and allowed them them to work out their differences following a Christmas Day domestic violence dispute in which the actor allegedly pinned his spouse on a bed with a knife to her throat.

The couple hugged in court, and Brooke Mueller Sheen’s attorney, Yale Galanter, said they hugged again and kissed in the basement of the 19th century Pitkin County Courthouse after the brief hearing before leaving in separate vehicles. They planned to fly out of Aspen together, and Galanter said he has asked prosecutors to drop the case.

Charlie Sheen is accused of holding a knife to his wife’s throat and threatening to kill her on Dec. 25 at his Aspen home. Prosecutors charged TV’s “Two and a Half Men” star with felony menacing and misdemeanor charges of third-degree assault and criminal mischief. The most serious charge carries a maximum three-year prison term. Sheen did not enter a plea Monday and is due back in court March 15.

Pitt, Jolie sue British tabloid, lawyer says

London — Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have begun legal action against a British tabloid that reported the celebrity couple was going to split, a lawyer acting on their behalf confirmed Monday.

Keith Schillings, of London-based Schillings lawyers, said in a statement that the couple had begun legal proceedings against the News of The World, a Sunday tabloid and Britain’s highest selling newspaper.

He said the newspaper had made “false and intrusive allegations” when it reported Jan. 24 that Pitt and Jolie had agreed to separate, to divide assets worth $320 million and had made arrangements regarding the custody of their six children.

Lawyers for the couple lodged a claim at London’s High Court on Monday to begin a legal case against the newspaper, Schillings said.

Hayley Barlow, spokeswoman for the News of The World, declined to comment on the couple’s decision to sue the newspaper.

Gary Coleman pleads guilty in Utah court

Salt Lake City — Former child television star Gary Coleman pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor criminal mischief charge related to a domestic violence incident last April.

In a deal with the prosecutor, Coleman entered the plea in Santaquin Justice Court on his 42nd birthday.

Court clerk Jane Swan says the original charge of domestic violence assault was dropped. No details of the April 18 incident are detailed in court documents, but defense attorney Randy Kester told The Associated Press that Coleman and his wife, Shannon Price, had an argument that got out of hand.

Judge Sharla Williams sentenced Coleman to 31 1/2 days in jail. The “Diff’rent Strokes” star will serve the time only if he fails to complete a domestic violence course and pay a $595 fine.