Breaking: Tom Cruise Files $50 Mil Lawsuit Over Mag Claiming He Abandoned Suri

Tom Cruise just filed a $50 million lawsuit against Life & Style and In Touch magazines, claiming the mags defamed him by reporting he had abandoned 6-year-old Suri. In the lawsuit, filed in L.A. federal court, Tom takes issue with the July 30th cover of Life & Style, which reads, "SURI IN TEARS, ABANDONED BY HER DAD" -- as well as the October 1st cover of In Touch, which shows a picture of Suri above the headline, "ABANDONED BY DADDY." According to the suit, Tom claims the mags' headlines are FALSE -- insisting, he "loves his daughter dearly and would never abandon her." Tom is suing for $50 million plus punitive damages for defamation and invasion of privacy. In Touch and Life & Style are sister magazines owned by the same publishing company Bauer Publishing. Cruise's lawyer, Bert Fields says: "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." Fields goes on: "Tom doesn't go around suing people. He's not a litigious guy. But when these sleaze peddlers try to make money with disgusting lies about his relationship with his child, you bet he's going to sue." Fields goes on to bash the mags, 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." Fields says any money Tom gets from the mags will go to charity.

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• I honestly don't blame him. Leave him alone when it comes to his children.

• Charity? The money will go into the Scientology coffers.

• I knew this would be his response the second I saw the "Abandoned" headline. I don't know what they could have been thinking, given his litigious history. Idiots. I hope they go down in flames, even if it has to be at his hand.

• It'll be interesting to see whether this makes it to court. Most countersuits consist of a threatening press release, and maybe some behind-the-scenes negotiation that results in a retraction that nobody pays any attention to. Actual court cases against the rags are extremely rare. I predict this one will never make it to court, largely because Katie Holmes Cruise would have to testify.

• Seems like he files a lawsuit every week.

• Greedy cunt

• Doesn't Scientology demand that he cuts off all contact with family members who are not part of the cult? Must be difficult to be a member of Scientology and still have a family friendly public image to uphold. But I am sure for guys like Tom Cruise Scientology makes an exception.

• Only his kid by law, not by biology.

• So did I r3. That was careless of them to go out with that headline. Unless they can prove it, which I doubt, its a easy win.

• This is great news! Life & Style will have to depose Katie over this, and her confidentiality agreement with Tom won't matter.

• Eh. More Tammyscieno publicity bullshit. It got them the headline they wanted, it will be quietly dropped after a short while.

• Ugh, oh please. He's doing this to try and send a message that people can't write what they want about him...its called freedom of speech. I'm guessing he's upset because its hurtful, but you can't sue someone because of that.

• [quote]Leave him alone when it comes to his children. Oh fuck off. He is the one who has let his kid become a public figure.

• R8, what is wrong with you? You sound worse than Cruise with his old fashioned ideas.

• Cruise sues for this, and yet Marty Rathbun writes in his new book that Tom had struck some of his employees, including a woman, and he doesn't call his lawyers? Guess Tom & Miss Miscaviage know when they're licked.

• This is a big change for Tammy! Usually the lawsuits are because they says he's a homo!

• Oh please I don't believe for a second he is the biological father of the kid. He and creepy smirk Katie phoney-ed it all up.

  anonymous

• [quote]Cruise sues for this, and yet Marty Rathbun writes in his new book that Tom had struck some of his employees, including a woman, and he doesn't call his lawyers? Wow. I hadn't read about Rathbun's book. Has there been much publicity for it? Tammy hasn't filed a lawsuit in a while. Remember back in the summer Fields threatened to sue the Enquirer and recently did the same with Vanity Fair. In the first case it was for saying that Suri was kept alone in a locked room duing infancy in accordance with Scieno principles. In the latter, for revealing the Scieno provided girlfriend who didn't measure up to Cruise standards and was treated poorly. Of course, Fields never followed through. The Enquirer and Conde Nast won't publish anything that explosive without any substantiation of some kind and a throrough vetting by their lawyers. Makes me wonder what kind of bad advice these publishers were getting.

• Isn't Katie a subversive person now? How could he have contact with her and the child in her custody? Or does he have to hire a sabbath monkey to make the phone calls to arrange visits?

• I don't think they have any contact at all and transact all business through go betweens. I don't know if Suri is old enough to be considered an SP. I know that former clams have complained about the special treatment Cruise has received because they have lost all contact with people in the cult.

• So does that mean he'll sue me if I say that he's secretly so gay that even the gerbils he shoves up his asshole are male scientologists? Or that he's so gay he took a shit last week and John Travolta fell out?

• We thought Tammy only sues when someone calls her a fairy.

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• The true father should just go to the media and claim the kid and get Cruise out of the loop once and for all.

• R9 went to a shitty law school. He has to prove, essentially, that they knew it was false. He would also never sit for a deposition because they could ask any question at all about his personal life, his divorce, his divorce from Nicole, his relationships with his other kids. And they could print all of it. I hope they call his bluff.

• R18 Here is an excerpt from Marty Rathbun's book discussing Tom's physical abuse of his staff and Scientology spokesman Tommy Davis, the son of Anne Archer.

  http://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2012/10/14/then-there-is-me-tom-cruise/

  You would think he'd sue over this....but noooooo.

• From the link, this is scary horrific shit and someone should sue the shit out of Cruise for physical abuse: "With me out of the way, Miscavige’s madness was unbridled. He began to tell Tom Cruise tales of having to physically beat the degraded beings in his environment to keep them in line. Cruise followed suit, doing the same to his own staff. Michael Doven, his long-time personal assistant, started receiving regular physical abuse from Tom. Another of Tom’s staff – a woman – was grabbed and slammed up against a file cabinet by Cruise for failing to show him proper respect. He railed and screamed, like Miscavige, when he discovered a near-microscopic chip in a drinking glass handed to him by one of his staff. He was convinced the degraded beings were steadily sabotaging him, stalking him like the zombies from Night of the Living Dead. Tom even physically abused the one-time international spokesperson for Scientology, one Tommy Davis."

• This was a very stupid move on the part of these magazines. They deserve to be gutted financially. I don't know who Cruise or Suri is, but putting that kind of information in print for any child to read later in life is terrible, if it's not true.

• Wow, that's something, R26.

• But he isn't suing Rathbun? That's weird.

• R29 He won't sue Rathbun because he knows Rathbun won't back down (also that Marty is telling the truth) and he'll depose both Tom and his girlfriend Miss Miscaviage and take it to court. Marty, unlike the tabloids, won't settle. Tommy and his girlfriend Miss Cabbage are afraid of Rathbun, and what he knows.

• This suit might come back to bite him in the ass...I hope. Bauer Media has stood by its story, claiming the reporting was "substantially true," and they plan to fight the libel suit by proving there were no false statements made. In court documents filed on Feb. 14, lawyers for Bauer are requesting a laundry list of information about Cruise's relationship with his daughter. Bauer's lawyers have requested a complete rundown of Cruise's schedule; the extent to which he was in contact with Suri after his separation and divorce from Holmes; the expectations for Cruise's contact and visitation schedule with Suri and the terms of the divorce agreement; his history of separation from Suri since her birth; Suri Cruise’s mental and emotional state following her parents’ separation and divorce. Lawyers have also requested information about the role Cruise's membership in the Church of Scientology may have played in his decisions regarding his visitation and communication with Suri, as well as the history of all the lawsuits the actor has filed over the years.

• Whoa. This is getting good.

• I hope the magazines stands firm. I'm sick of Tom Cruise and his heavy handed religion.

• It is interesting that there haven't been any recent pics of him with Suri. When he visits he usually has the paps out taking pictures. I actually wondered a few weeks ago why it's been so quiet on the Suri front.

• From that excerpt Tom sounds like a psychopath. "degraded beings"? What did Mimi, a long time Scieno, do to him to warrant that?

• Ha! These magazines are smart. They know he won't go into a case where he'll have to testify under oath about his personal life. It's all smoke coming from the Sci Fi guy.

• To bad the magazines didn't put one of these (?)behind those, none of this would be happening

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• It's not "happening" R37. Duh! Anyone with a modicum of intelligence knows these German-owned magazines are laughing at the threats from Cruise. His religion is officialy listed as a cult in Germany. Do you really think he would go there and testify UNDER OATH about his relationship with his ex-wives and children and the possible involvement of his child with a cult that's branded as illegal? It takes a real moron to think this lawsuit would ever amount to anything.

• "We bruise & SUE easy!"

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• They should say he has the AIDS and force him to take a deviant test.

• r37 and r38 I don't get it.

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• Bauer is German owned, hates clams and will go toe-to-toe with him. They're RICHER than he is. Bring it on SHRIMP without a career! Nothing will come of this. Bauer publishes TONS of tabloids in Germany and they have good German attorneys on retainer. So good, he's going to get his ass whipped.

• As I said this is going to be GOOD. Bauer is giving him shit for days. Look at this. "For instance, Cruise's camp is requesting a list of the stories Bauer's publications have ever run on him, and Bauer wants a complete rundown of Cruise's schedule and the time he has spent with daughter Suri since he and Katie Holmes split up." "Cruise sued Bauer in October over stories claiming that he had "abandoned" Suri in the course of his divorce from Holmes. In a response filed in December, Bauer defended its reporting as "substantially true." "Per today's filing, Bauer wants an accounting of Suri's mental and emotional state following her parents' separation and divorce; the actor's work, travel and social schedule during the relevant time period; the extent to which Cruise was in contact, including his means of communication, with his daughter since he and Holmes separated; his history of separations from Suri since her birth; evidence of the role Scientology may have played regarding his visitation and communication with Suri; and Cruise's litigation history." "Meaning, Bauer wants a record of lawsuits filed by Team Cruise over the years." "As for the Jack Reacher star, his legal team is seeking a rundown of Bauer's policies and practices with regard to publishing stories about Cruise, Suri and Scientology; the minutiae surrounding how the articles in question about Cruise came to be published, including the writing, fact-checking, verification and cover-approval processes; and the identities of those responsible for everything concerning the articles' publication, from the reporting to the writing of headlines and photo captions." "Moreover, Cruise's attorneys are demanding, apparently with an eye on the publisher's treatment of Scientology, that Bauer detail its so-called history of "bigotry and hatred toward minority religious groups and their members."

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• R42, he hates clams? Will mussels do?

• I read the link at r25 and had to laugh! I feel bad for his employees but come on..How could you even take that shit seriously? His assistant should have just jumped up on the nearest couch and proclaimed love for Katie while jumping up and down out of Tom's reach

• I'm waiting for the "BREAKING NEWS" on TV announcing Tom's been off'd by one of his crew or fellow Sciento.

• If Cruise physically abused a subordinate over a slightly chipped glass, I imagine public questioning of his parenting skills won't be taken calmly either. (Where's the respect? Stand clear, ladies!) Nor indeed would have been his fast and uncontrollable most recent divorce; nor either his unimpressive box office of late. Challenging midlife times for Tom, whose second act is ever more problematic. (O to be a wall-fly when vital cult matters are discussed with Miss Cabbage.) The press scents blood, so it'll be a lively ride.

• He has yet another overblown action movie coming out soon. Time to get his name in the media circus.

• You mean something beyond Reacher?

• Well, Tom was right about the perscription thing. Now that it's come out that many Rx don't work and the ones that do make you suicidal, I think Matt Lauer should publicly apologize. And if you are on the side of sleazy tabloids, you are obviously a major loser that would never have an interesting life in the first place, so it all kind of explains itself. Remember when exciting people used to come to DL? Where have they gone?

• r50 - did Miss Cabbage let you out of the hole? Anyways, I sent that stuff about Tom to Tony Ortega (ex of the VV) last night & he posted it today under the Harlan Ellison thing. He says this is going to get good. In the comments section someone wrote that there is no way that Miscavage is going to allow Tom to give all that info (re- the lawsuit) & that it will most likely be dropped. What is TOTALLY disappointing is that The Wrap is probably clam owned, because they published that Scientology hit piece on Bauer. Still, THR and other outlets seem to be Team Bauer, which is good.

• When will people learn? You don't piss off Muslims, PETA or Tom Cruise.

• If Tom Cruise must sue, it must be true!

  the%20late%20Johnnie%20Cochran

• What did you send to Tony Ortega, R51? I only see an entry about "Blogging dianetics, the hard sell." under the Harlan Ellison

• I don't think Tom abandoned Suri. Katie got full custody and Tom works like crazy. He and the Scientologists are trying to make Tom the most famous person in the world. He is 50 and his star power is abating. But if he has only seen Suri one or twice since the divorce, then it does not look good for him publicly. Scientologists are not into children. They are props to be used to help your career. Nicole Kidman still uses that playbook, carrying her children through airports and then handing them off to the nanny when the paps are gone.

• Does anyone else thing Cruise is going to use this as an excuse for publicity? The article says he's a bad parent. He may be afraid actually to go to court, but I bet he'll use this as an excuse to tell the whole world what a wonderful parent he is, and to release some excellent photo ops of him and Suri together.

• By all accounts Cruise is good to his children. I don't see any daddy dearest type books in his future. Tom's problem is getting worked up over things that are easily forgotten. He has been an A list celebrity since the 80's. He shouldn't be so sensitive when it comes to the media.

• [quote]Well, Tom was right about the perscription thing. Now that it's come out that many Rx don't work and the ones that do make you suicidal, I think Matt Lauer should publicly apologize. Oh, brother Clammy McClamshell. Links please.

• If he's suing over the word "abandon" he's got a tough row to hoe. He jumped on Oprah's couch with abandon, too. It can mean many things, none of them particularly precise.

• [quote]Bauer wants an accounting of Suri's mental and emotional state following her parents' separation and divorce Well, they won't get any help from all those paparazzi pictures. Every time you see the little dear she's beaming from ear to ear, the picture of happiness and firm but gentle guidance.

  Regan%20Theresa%20McNeil

• How are they expecting to get an accounting of a child's mental state? Through a psychiatric evaluation? Tammy may have to drop this lawsuit.

• What? Jack Reacher only made $70 million, here in the states. I believe people have finally started to realize that Tom is involved in a cult and he's a phony.

• [quote]Tammy may have to drop this lawsuit. Really? Really?

• The Germans love to attack Scientology. They are aggressive and do not show deference to celebrities. I am also waiting for the Rebecca DeMornay expose.

  NK

• I also think this lawsuit is a risk for Cruise. Does he want it public how little he has seen Suri? He did give up his kid and leave the country for months to go make crappy movies. Is that all they have to prove? Was it ever publicized how much time he gets with Suri? I thought even his visits have to be supervised.

• [quote] I am also waiting for the Rebecca DeMornay expose.

• r50 = clam.

• I posted at R66 yesterday and forgot to at the ??? below the quote. What's the story with Rebecca De Mornay?

• There was a recent gossip item about an actress shopping her real life story of working on a film with a young famous actor. He shared that he got roles through the male casting couch. Rebecca DeMornay was the popular guess, due to working with Cruise in Risky Business. Tom went from unknown in New York to being cast by Franco Zefferelli for a small part in Endless Love where he only wears shorts.

• Thanks, r69.

• Does Tom have to donate large amounts to CO$? I also wonder if the church smears Nicole and Katie since they rejected his faith.

• [quote]also wonder if the church smears Nicole and Katie since they rejected his faith. That's doubtful, although they would probably like to do it. Nicole and Katie know too much about Tammy so the cult doesn't want them to talk about him.

• Nicole goes out of her way to say how much she loved Tom and respects her former children's faith. Tom never mentions her. I have no doubt the CO$ would attack Nicole if she was at all critical. Katie Holmes has seemed like a nervous wreck since her divorce. I wonder if Miscavige has found a new bride # 4 for Tammy.

• No doubt, Nicole is still getting hush money that wasn't ever mentioned in any divorce. Same with Mimi Rogers. After her remarks about him being like a monk, she suddenly went silent on the subject of Cruise as her bank account increased.

• "The ultimate aim of the religion is to reclaim the Earth and rescue humankind [from aliens]." Tom's next two movies involve alien invasion. He is gone.

• [quote]He's doing this to try and send a message that people can't write what they want about him...its called freedom of speech. I am NO fan of Tammy's, R12, and hope that if anything at all comes of this suit, it does nothing but damage him and that creepy fucking cult, but this is just a stupid comment. There's a difference between freedom of speech and character defamation. The latter is against the law for a reason.

• Seems like a dumb suit. Cruise is betting they can't prove that he abandoned Suti, but it's not a case to fight. He did give up custody and he pays less child support than Brendan Fraser.

• Suri is Chris Klein's kid, anyway.