Tabloids lying about Tom Cruise and Suri, attorney claims

Weeks of tabloid reports about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have prompted one of Cruise's attorneys to go public to set the record straight.

At issue are tabloid reports that Cruise "abandoned" the couple's daughter, Suri. Bert Fields, one of Cruise's lawyers, called those reports "grotesquely false claims" and accused one outlet of spreading lies about his client.

"That, as anyone knows who saw their photos together yesterday and today, is a disgusting, vicious lie," Fields said. "Until this week, Tom was shooting a film on location [in Iceland], but he spoke to Suri every day. He’s with Suri right now; and he was with her the day before [the magazine] trumpeted their cruelly false accusation. Tom dearly loves Suri, and the last thing he would ever do is abandon her.”

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Cruise has been chased around Manhattan for the last two days by paparazzi as he whisked Suri from her home to his suites and to her daily gymnastics classes.

Cruise and Holmes reached a private divorce settlement, giving Holmes primary custody and Cruise visitation rights and a "meaningful relationship" with Suri.

A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk publicly about the case, said Holmes will have some voice in selecting the nannies who will accompany Suri when she spends time with Cruise.

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The person said the deal gave Holmes some level of control without appearing to monitor Suri's visits with Cruise.

The agreement gives Holmes the lead role in choosing how Suri will be educated, the source said Monday.

In an interview with CNN, Holmes' attorney Jonathan Wolfe praised Cruise's attorneys "for their professionalism and diligence that helped bring about this speedy resolution.... We are thrilled for Katie and her family and are excited to watch as she embarks on the next chapter of her life."

With a prenuptial agreement governing the distribution of assets, talks between lawyers for Cruise, a prominent member of the Church of Scientology, and Holmes, who was raised Roman Catholic, centered on the role of Scientology in the upbringing of Suri, according to a person who was familiar with the negotiations but not authorized to discuss them publicly.

Holmes wanted guarantees in the settlement to ensure nothing is done while their daughter is with Cruise that would "alienate" Suri from her, the sources said.

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-- Richard Winton

Photo: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes in 2010. Credit: Toni Rodriguez / Associated Press