“Tom Cruise Settles Defamation Lawsuit Against Publisher”

Remember my report about the Tom Cruise defamation lawsuit?

Well, it’s back. He settled: Tom Cruise Settles Defamation Lawsuit Against Publisher – NYTimes.com.

When you read this, be aware that no monetary amount was whispered. No, no, it’s confidential.

The suit, filed in United States District Court for the Central District of California here, sought $50 million in damages, and specifically challenged headlines that suggested he had “abandoned” the daughter, Suri.

In a statement on Friday, the lawyer, Bertram Fields, said the terms of the settlement were confidential. He added that the magazines “never intended to communicate that Tom Cruise had cut off all ties and abandoned his daughter, Suri, and regret if anyone drew that inference from anything the published.”

Here’s how I read that: Cruise settled for no money at all. In fact, since the publishers’ lawyers didn’t offer that officially approved comment — Bert Fields is Cruise’s lawyer — I’m thinking that Cruise settled for, maybe, a confidential letter of “regret.” Or maybe only agreeing to let Bert Fields say what he said.

 

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