Film star couple Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, referred to by the media as "TomKat" for the last six years, have settled their divorce in less than two weeks, as reported in dozens of news headlines including the Los Angeles Times and CNN, but the speculation surrounding the suddenness of their breakup continues.
Katie Holmes, 33, filed for divorce in New York State on June 28 while Cruise, 50, allegedly would have filed in California. The couple's main residence is in California. The debate over which state to file in has much to do with custody of the child's young daughter, Suri Cruise.
An anonymous source has claimed that Holmes prefers not to fight for Suri's custody, or any monetary settlement, under public scrutiny. Allegedly Holmes' only concern is how Suri, now six years old, is raised.
Cruise's annual earnings, estimated recently by Forbes magazine, is $75 million.
The topic of Suri's custody, according to news reports, is due to Cruise's religious beliefs – namely raising Suri as a Scientologist – differing from Holmes' personal beliefs.
Cruise is a prominent member in the Church of Scientology.
Within one week of Holmes' filing, her attorney announced that his client was not seeking emergency custody or spousal support. Bert Fields, one of the attorneys representing Cruise, would not give specifics on his client's own moves.
Gary S. Soter, an attorney for the church of Scientology answered allegations suggesting that members of the church were watching Holmes. On July 3 Soter said, "There is no truth whatsoever to the [report] that the church of Scientology has sent anyone to follow or surveil Katie Holmes."
One Los Angeles family law attorney, Lisa Helfend Meyer, explained that it is not common for a court to look at religious grounds in determining custody. Helfend Meyer said, "It has to affect a child physically or emotionally. [The religion] cannot just be different."
One of Holmes' attorneys, Jonathan Wolfe, released a statement claiming that his client's impending divorce is "a personal and private matter" and that "Katie's primary concern remains, as it has always been, her daughter's best interest."
As of July 9 "TomKat" is no more and the couple settled their divorce "amicably". The agreement details are not available to the public but the couple announced that they would continue to work "together" for Suri's "best interests."
The couple was married for five years. A joint statement released to CNN read, "We are committed to working together as parents to accomplishing what is in our daughter Suri's best interests. We want to keep matters affecting our family private and express our respect for each other's commitment to each of our respective beliefs and support each other's roles as parents."
Fields announced that "Tom is really pleased we got there, and so am I" and Wolfe said, "We are thrilled for Katie and her family and are excited to watch as she embarks on the next chapter of her life."
Every divorce involves issues such as settlements and child custody. If you are facing a divorce contact a family law attorney to best represent your needs at this difficult time.