Richards drops restraining order against Sheen as divorce pact reached

Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen

LOS ANGELES - Estranged Hollywood couple Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards, whose bitter divorce battle titillated the tabloids for months, have amicably settled most of their differences, their lawyers said.

Lance Spiegel, an attorney for Sheen, said that issues connected with their divorce proceedings were resolved after a closed-door session on Monday between lawyers for both sides and Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Marjorie Steinberg, who has presided over the case.

Richards' lawyer, Neil Hersh, also said the couple had reached an amicable resolution, adding that a Sept. 12 court hearing on child custody had been cancelled, but so far no judgment has been entered in the divorce.

As part of the settlement, Richards agreed to drop a restraining order she had obtained against Sheen directing him to stay at least 275m away from her and their two daughters, Sam two, and one-year-old Lola, the lawyers said.

Sheen's spokesman, Stan Rosenfield, added the following in a statement from Spiegel on Tuesday: "The parties have resolved, on an interim basis, the issues that were previously before the court, including custody arrangements for the children. There are ongoing efforts to resolve the remaining issues on an amicable basis."

The restraining order was issued in April after Richards, 35, filed a declaration claiming Sheen, 40, was abusing prescription drugs, gambling compulsively and had been physically and verbally abusive.

She also claimed that Sheen, who stars as a Malibu playboy on the bawdy CBS television comedy "Two and a Half Men," hired prostitutes and looked at child pornography on the internet.

The actor, who had been permitted supervised visits with their daughters under the restraining order, filed his own declaration denying Richards' claims that he threatened her and hit her in December.

Richards filed for divorce in March 2005. The pair, who married in June 2002, attempted to reconcile last fall, but on Jan. 4 requested that the divorce proceed.

- REUTERS