Cruise sues Life & Style over 'abandoned Suri' headline
Tom Cruise is going on the offensive, suing the publishers of for defamation and seeking US$50 million in damages over a cover that alleged he had "abandoned" daughter Suri.
"Tom is a caring father who dearly loves Suri," lawyer Bert Fields said. "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 suit was filed on Wednesday in the US District Court in Los Angeles. At issue is July 30 cover, which had the headline "Suri In Tears, Abandoned by Her Dad", accompanied by a picture of the girl crying.
The suit, obtained by TMZ, says the article does not support the headline, and notes that the picture of six-year-old Suri in tears was taken after the girl was not allowed to bring a puppy home from a pet store.
On July 30, Cruise was photographed holding hands with a mermaid-costume-clad Suri on a VIP visit to Walt Disney World.
The suit argues that while the headlines are easily readable by anyone at a store checkout, only a small percentage of people read the article inside.
The media was rife with blaring headlines about Cruise, Katie Holmes and their daughter after Holmes filed for divorce on June 29. The couple reached a settlement quickly and were officially divorced on August 20.
In July, Fields sent a letter to American Media, publisher of the , threatening to sue over a story that called Cruise a "monster" and alleged that his was a "house of horrors". If Cruise wins the lawsuit, Fields said, the money would be donated to charity.
