Charlie Sheen's Wife Wants to Reconcile

We've learned Brooke has hired famed criminal defense lawyer Yale Galanter, who represented OJ Simpson for years. Galanter tells TMZ Brooke did not recant the story she told cops on Christmas Day -- that Charlie allegedly held a knife to her throat and threatened to have her killed. But, Galanter says, Brooke did "minimize her story, like many wives in a similar situation do, when they realize their husband could go to jail."

Galanter tells TMZ he will file papers with the Aspen court this morning, asking the judge to allow Brooke and Charlie to resume contact with each other "so they can work on resolving the conflicts in their marriage." Galanter says Brooke and Charlie love each other very much, calling what happened on Xmas, "one bad night."

Galanter, who is currently in Aspen, says he was specifically hired to make sure prosecutors don't "overreact" and charge Brooke with lying to cops. He says, like many women who find themselves in similar circumstances, Brooke didn't realize that Charlie would be arrested after she called 911. So, Galanter says, Brooke soft-pedaled her story to a female cop hours after the 911 call but insists she did not recant.