Tom Cruise files lawsuit against magazine claims he abandoned Suri
“Mission Impossible” star Tom Cruise has just filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against magazines that claimed he had abandoned his daughter, Suri, following his divorce from wife Katie Holmes.
According to Bert Fields, the attorney of 50-year-old Tom Cruise, the actor filed the lawsuit in the United States court in Los Angeles against the publishers of celebrity magazines “In Touch” and “Life & Style.”
The October 1st cover of In Touch shows a picture of Suri above the headline, “ABANDONED BY DADDY,” while the headline of Life & Style reads “SURI IN TEARS, ABANDONED BY HER DAD”
In the lawsuit, Tom Cruise claims the headlines of the celebrity magazines are nothing but false. In a statement, lawyer Bert Fields said “Tom is a caring father who dearly loves Suri. She’s a vital part of his life and always will be. To say he has ‘abandoned’ her is a vicious lie. To say it in lurid headlines with a tearful picture of Suri is reprehensible.”
The lawsuit stated that the September story from “In Touch” claimed that six-year-old Suri, the only child of former couple Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, had gone more than 44 days without seeing her father.
Fields said that despite repeated stories in gossip websites and celebrity media about the actor and his personal life during his 30-year Hollywood career, the actor rarely resorted to litigation.
“He’s not a litigious guy. But when these sleazy peddlers try to make money with disgusting lies about his relationship with his child, you bet he’s going to sue,” Fields added.
Fields went on to slam the mags for the articles published about Tom Cruise abandoning Suri, saying, “These serial defamers are foreign owned companies with their global headquarters in Hamburg. They take money from unsuspecting Americans by selling their malicious garbage. Having to pay a libel judgment may slow them down.”
Tom Cruise is seeking damages of $50 million and would “undoubtedly give the money to charity” if he wins the defamation case, said Fields.
The celebrity magazines, owned by privately held German publishing group Bauer Media, did not immediately return calls for comment on the issue.
Previous reports have stated that Katie Holmes filed for divorce in June after six years of marriage from Tom Cruise, seeking sole custody of Suri. This was a move that took the actor by surprise when he was filming for a new movie in Iceland. The two agreed to a custody arrangement and settled other matters but details have been kept private.