Bauer Publishing Company filed a rebuttal against "Mission Impossible" actor, Tom Cruise, who is suing its magazines "Life & Style" and "In Touch" for defamation of character. In the $50 million lawsuit filed in October, Cruised accused publishers for causing damages to his reputation by falsely accusing him of abandoning his six-year-old daughter.
Bauer, however, issued a defense statement indicating that Cruise had no case on them since the stories they published were "substantially true." The statement read, "Cruise "cannot prove that he has suffered any compensable damage as a result of any actionable of any actionable statement published by the Bauer Defendants," and that he is "a public figure and the Bauer Defendants did not act with actual malice," as reported by The Wrap.
The publisher also says that the magazines are protected by the First Amendment right to "freedom of the press," as well as Article 1 of the California Constitution.
Cruise's attorney's declined to comment.
The story of Cruise abandoning his daughter - Suri was published in both magazines shortly after the actor divorced with wife Katie Holmes. The superstar filed suit against two magazines "Life & Style" and "In Touch" at Los Angeles court.
In its July 30th issue, "Life & Style" published a story on the recently divorced Cruise and Suri with the headlines reading, "Suri in Tears in Tears, Abandoned SURI IN TEARS, ABANDONED BY HER DAD." The on October 1, "In Touch" published a similar story with the headline, "Abandoned by Daddy."
According to Cruise's lawyer Bert Fields told Yahoo News, "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 says that if his client wins the money, he will donate it all to charity. "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," as reported by TMZ.
Holmes filed for divorce from Cruise over the summer after five years of marriage. A settlement was quickly reached, with no details divulged to public except that the couple reached the settlement on amicable terms.
The couple, who was reported to have a pre-nuptial agreement, was said to be worth $275 million, most of which is earned by Cruise. According to Good Morning America, last year Cruise made around $75 million, while Holmes only $25 million in comparison.
