Tom & Katie Divorce

Tom Cruise said he wasn't able to see his daughter for months because he was shooting "Mission Impossible 5" in London, and he was counting the hours before he came home to little Suri. But we're told he was off work for 2 weeks after shooting wrapped, yet never saw her.

Sources connected to Katie Holmes tell TMZ ... it's worse than that. They say Tom has not seen the 8-year-old in almost a year. Tom's rep previously denied that and said the actor has seen his daughter plenty, but on the down low to shield her from cameras.

But our Katie sources say that's not true ... that he's just not been a part of her life.

There's been speculation Tom is distancing himself from Katie and Suri because they've been declared SPs in Scientology, but we've checked with the Church and we're told that is simply not true.

Tom is now back to business ... he just began a 90 day shoot in Atlanta.

He did take time Sunday to take his son Connor to the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament in Tampa.

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are not at war over the Church of Scientology ... they don't communicate because they have an intense dislike for one another.

When we broke the story -- that Katie and Tom are so estranged they don't even talk about raising their 8-year-old daughter Suri -- we started getting tips that Tom has shut her out because she's an SP ... a Suppressive Person.

An SP stands for several things, including people who disavow the Church. The Church has a procedure for declaring people SPs. Once they're declared an SP, people in the Church are told not to associate with them.

Well-placed sources close to the Church tell TMZ, Katie was NOT declared a Suppressive Person. What's interesting, we're told Katie actually thinks she's been declared one ... but she hasn't.

Sources connected with Tom and Katie tell us there are hard feelings on both sides, which is why they don't communicate. For Tom's part, he feels betrayed because he claims Katie never gave him any warning she was leaving him. For Katie's part, we're told she felt Tom sucked the life out of her.

In the end, Suri is living with her mom and sees her dad from time to time, but the family unit is completely shattered.

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes want nothing to do with each other ... to the point they don't speak to one another, even about Suri.

Sources close to both Tom and Katie tell us they do not communicate at all. There are no direct co-parenting discussions. Everything regarding Suri -- visitation, child-rearing, etc. -- is handled through intermediaries.

Our sources say there are bad feelings on both sides, and no desire on either Tom or Katie's part to mend fences.

As for Suri ... sources close to Tom say he's still involved in his daughter's life, although he hasn't seen her in months because he's been in London shooting "Mission Impossible 5." Production wrapped last Thursday and our Tom sources say he's coming back to L.A. and will see Suri when he returns.

On the Katie side we're told she's dissatisfied with Tom's involvement in their daughter's life ... that it hasn't been enough.

And there's this ... we've been told there is some sort of relationship between Katie and Jamie Foxx. Our Tom sources wouldn't comment on the relationship, but say Tom has been concerned in the past with other boyfriends because of a possible negative influence on Suri.

The war is over ... Tom Cruise has settled his epic $50 million libel suit against a magazine publisher that accused him of abandoning his daughter Suri ... and part of the settlement included a carefully-worded apology.

The terms of the settlement are sealed. Each side will pay its own legal fees.

Part of the deal was that the defendants issue the following statement: "Bauer Publishing, 'In Touch' and 'Life and Style' 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 they published."

As we reported ... Cruise sued Bauer Media Group last year over a cover story that appeared in Life & Style magazine claiming he had "abandoned" his then-6-year-old daughter Suri in the wake of his divorce from Katie Holmes.

The conflict was pretty insane -- you'll recall, Tom sat for a deposition in the lawsuit and compared acting to fighting in Afghanistan.

TMZ has seen the VIDEOTAPE of Tom Cruise's deposition, and here's what's clear ... he scoffs at the comparison between his job as an actor and a soldier in Afghanistan, but only at the end of a contentious exchange with the opposing lawyer.

We were not able to record the video but we viewed the portion in question several times. You see a buttoned-up Tom -- wearing a coat, a vest and a white shirt -- sitting almost motionless with his lips pursed, as the lawyer asks:

-- "Now, your counsel has publicly equated your absence from Suri for these extended periods of time as being analogous to someone fighting in Afghanistan. Are you aware of that?"

As the question is asked, Tom does not change his expression. He doesn't scoff, laugh or show any sort of shock. He sits impassively.

Tom's lawyer objects and then says he can answer. Tom remains stoic.

Then he answers:

-- "I didn't hear the Afghanistan, but that's what it feels like, and certainly on this last movie, it was brutal. It was brutal."

When Tom says "I didn't hear the Afghanistan, but that's what it feels like," he doesn't laugh but moves in his chair. When he says "It was brutal, it was brutal" ... Cruise laughs.

Then when the lawyer says "Do you believe the situations [being in a movie and fighting a war in Afghanistan] are the same?" ... Cruise becomes almost indignant and says, "Oh come on." At this point he is clearly saying they're not the same.

Cruise's lawyer, Bert Fields, says the notion that Tom compares his acting to fighting a war is a distortion, pointing to a section in the deposition -- not part of the deposition that was publicly released -- in which Tom is asked, "Do you believe the situations [being in a movie and fighting a war in Afghanistan] are the same?" Tom replies, "Oh come on." Fields says that clearly means "of course not."

For the record, here's Tom's quote, responding to the opposing lawyer in the deposition:

Lawyer: "Now, your counsel has publicly equated your absence from Suri for these extended periods of time as being analogous to someone fighting in Afghanistan. Are you aware of that?"

Cruise: "I didn't hear the Afghanistan, but that's what it feels like, and certainly on this last movie, it was brutal. It was brutal."

Tom Cruise not only thinks he trains harder than Olympic athletes, he believes his job as a professional actor is as grueling as fighting the war in Afghanistan -- this according to legal docs obtained by TMZ.

As we reported, Cruise recently sat for a deposition in his $50 million libel suit against a magazine publisher that claimed he abandoned daughter Suri -- and his quotes are GOLD.

First, the Middle East -- Tom says his location shoots are just like serving a tour in Afghanistan, "That's what it feels like. And certainly on this last movie, it was brutal. It was brutal."

As for his physical training, Tom said, "There is difficult physical stamina and preparation. Sometimes I've spent months, a year, and sometimes two years preparing for a single film." But the kicker, he adds, "A sprinter for the Olympics, they only have to run two races a day. When I'm shooting, I could potentially have to run 30, 40 races a day, day after day."

But it's not all grenades and triathlons ... Tom says he's only flown commercial ONCE in the last 4 years ... and that was because he had no choice.

Suri Cruise has the confidence and maturity that far exceeds the norm for a 7-year-old ... so says Suri expert Tom Cruise.

In his deposition in the defamation case, Tom says Suri is a good communicator, which allows him to have meaningful conversations with her when he's not with her.

But more than that ... Cruise swore under oath ... his daughter is "confident" and has "a good sense of herself."

Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise went to the mountaintop ... but were forced to come down ... though certainly not as dramatically as her ex-hubby would do it.

Katie had some downtime from shooting "The Giver" in Cape Town ... so she took Suri to Table Mountain -- a famed tourist spot with stunning views. It's one of the new 7 wonders of the world.

Turns out it was a bad day for sightseeing. It was cloudy, windy and cold, making it almost impossible to see in front of your face.

Suri was clinging to her mom while they waited for a cable car to take them down.

Tom surely would have strapped her to his back and rappelled down the mountain. After all, that's the way they do it in Afghanistan.

Tom Cruise admitted that Katie Holmes left him partly because of his ties to Scientology.

Cruise sat for a deposition in his $50 million libel suit against a magazine company that claimed he abandoned his daughter Suri.

In the deposition ... Cruise squirmed in his chair as the lawyer for the magazine repeatedly asked if Katie fled their marriage because of the Church. Cruise hemmed and hawed, suggesting it wasn't true, and then the lawyer asked whether "Katie Holmes left you in part to protect Suri from Scientology."

Cruise answered: "Did she say that? That was one of the assertions, yes."

Cruise also admitted that Suri is NOT a member of Scientology anymore.

The story that triggered the lawsuit claimed Tom abandoned his daughter. In his depo, Cruise says for the period between June 18, 2012 and Thanksgiving, 2012, he estimates he only saw Suri 10 days. During one stretch ... Tom admits he didn't see his daughter for more than 100 days.

The lawyer for the magazine grilled Tom about his desire to see Suri. The lawyer pulled out aviation documents showing Tom flew from Pittsburgh to London on Oct. 15 for the International Association of Scientology convention. Tom returned to Pittsburgh the next day. Tom said it was very important to attend, and then the lawyer made it clear Tom never took such quick trips to see Suri.

And in another part of the deposition, the magazine's lawyer brought up the part of the story in which they claimed Suri was "upset and crying a lot" when Tom was absent. In the depo, Tom admits being absent, but adamantly denied Suri was upset.

Part of Tom Cruise's lawsuit against two tabloids reads like one of his spy movies -- with Tom's publicity team accusing Katie Holmes of espionage ... as in working directly with the tabs to publish stories skewering Tom as a horrible father.

In emails to Tom's legal team ... his publicist Amanda Lundberg fingers specific people in Katie's camp -- including publicists and hair/makeup people -- for feeding stories to "In Touch."

Amanda accuses her #1 suspect of "speaking to the press constantly. She is the one saying -- K[atie] is disciplinarian and T[om] is spoiling and so on."

Amanda also directly accuses Katie's publicist, saying ... "leslee sloan [sic] calls the paparazzi every time K gets ready to leave the building as the doormen are always surprised how they suddenly show up when she is about to leave."

The emails were submitted as part of Tom's $50 million suit against the publisher of "In Touch" and "Life & Style" ... for allegedly defaming him with headlines about him abandoning Suri after the divorce.

Tom's publicist Amanda also emailed Katie's people directly, accusing them of remaining silent about a story that claimed Tom broke a promise to Suri. In the email, Amanda demands ... "Can you guys comment and deny this as we all know this is not true."

At the end of the email Amanda begs ... "Help?!!!"

In short, Tom's people are bitching that Katie's people play dirty pool ... allegedly planting negative stories ... or refusing to blunt the ones they know to be false.

Truth is ... this kinda thing happens every day behind the scenes in Hollywood.

Tom Cruise is declaring he's a damn good dad to Suri ... opening up for the first time about his divorce from Katie Holmes and how it affected his relationship with his daughter.

Cruise just filed docs in his $50 million lawsuit against the publisher of "Life & Style" and "In Touch" magazines for cover stories that claimed he "abandoned" Suri after divorcing Katie in June 2012.

In the docs, Cruise says ... "I have in no way cut Suri out of my life -- whether physically, emotionally, financially or otherwise."

He goes on to cite specific times he saw his daughter in person in the months following the divorce, and says ... "even during the times when I was working overseas and was not able to see Suri in person, we were (and continue to be) extremely close."

The docs are pretty revealing ... since Tom has said next to nothing publicly about the divorce from Katie.

Cruise admits he was busy shooting 2 movies when "In Touch" ran its headline, "Abandoned by Daddy" -- however he says, "As my numerous emails with Suri's mother during this time period demonstrate, I was a constant presence in Suri's life."

Tom's declaration continues ... "While I'm sure my daughter misses me when I am not with her (as I miss her), she is a very happy child, and we have a wonderful relationship and cheerful phone calls."

Katie Holmes has broken out of her frumpy phase in a SERIOUS way ... strutting around the streets of NYC today looking downright sexy.

Of course, Katie has never really been unattractive, but there was a rough period ... right before she broke things off with Tom Cruise.

But after the two split in 2012, Katie began a Tiger Woods-style comeback ... in the hotness department ... going from a 9 back to a 10.

Nice work.

Call us suspicious ... or conspiracy theorists ... or whatever ... but we may have found proof that Suri Cruise is actually using a TINY BODY DOUBLE to fool the media!!!

Exhibit A -- Suri getting out of an SUV in NYC this weekend wearing a beanie, blue bubble jacket, leggings and brown Uggs.

Exhibit B -- Another little girl who sorta looks like Suri getting out of the exact same SUV wearing an IDENTICAL OUTFIT ... with a different colored beanie.

So what does it all mean??? Is Suri trying to dupe the media? Is the other girl in on some sort of diabolical plot? Or ... are they just friends who like to wear the same clothes?

We know, that's ridiculous ... IT'S TOTALLY A BODY DOUBLE!!!

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.

Katie Holmes walked away with nothing other than rather modest child support in her divorce from Tom Cruise ... and we at TMZ have the breakdown.

Sources familiar with documents filed with the court tell TMZ ... Katie got no lump sum payout, which is consistent with the prenup which essentially shuts her out of Tom's $250 million fortune.

As for spousal support ... Katie got zip.

Katie will get money for child support, but it's way less than a judge could have ordered. According to the settlement, Tom must pay Katie $400,000 a year in child support. That comes to $33,333.33 a month. The money will be paid by electronic transfer.

Tom must pay Suri's support for the next 12 years -- until she turns 18. All tolled, that comes to $4.8 million.

Tom must also pay Suri's expenses, including medical, dental, insurance, education, college and extracurricular costs.

And ... both Tom and Katie agree that Suri will NOT attend a "residential school" from now through her high school years. Translation -- she can't be shipped off to boarding school -- Scientology or otherwise.

Katie could have gotten more child support under New York law if the case went to trial, but both she and Tom decided to settle quickly.

We reported early on ... Katie said she wanted nothing from Tom other than a divorce -- well that's exactly what she got.