Terrence Howard's ex-wife has been granted a restraining order against the actor after claiming he beat her badly during a Costa Rica vacation, TMZ reports. 
Michelle Ghent, who finalized their divorce earlier this year but reportedly reconciled briefly this month, says her ex-husband physically abused her after an argument while on vacation. She was spotted in court with a massive black eye. A judge granted her a restraining order, which mandates that Howard cannot come within 100 yards of Ghent pending another hearing, scheduled for later this month.
Howard, however, tells another side of the story. He maintains that he never laid a hand on Ghent, but rather his ex-wife sprayed him and another member of his family with mace. He also says that Ghent sent him a series of text messages last May in which she threatened to kill him and his family. The text messages were discussed during today's hearing, but Ghent's attorney insists they have been taken out of context. Ghent claims Howard physically abused her throughout their relationship.
The incident comes at a particularly bad time for Howard, who is promoting his role in Lee Daniels' The Butler. He stars opposite Oprah Winfrey in the ensemble-heavy film. 
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(Photo: Ivan Nikolov/WENN.com)