TomKat ended as quickly as it began. On Monday, the couple that implausibly claimed in 2005 that they had each other at hello announced that they had finalized their divorce settlement — less than two weeks after Katie Holmes reportedly stunned Tom Cruise by filing papers. Though the terms of the secretive settlement were not released, it's been widely reported that Holmes will retain primary custody of their daughter Suri. The couple released a joint statement declaring respect for their "respective beliefs" — a possible allusion to Cruise's intense and much-maligned devotion to Scientology, which reportedly played an outsized role in the custody negotations. Here, 4 key talking points to emerge from the coverage of the settlement:
1. Cruise can only expose Suri to Scientology to a limited degree
The settlement restricts what Holmes and Cruise "can discuss with Suri on the subject of religion, including Scientology," until she is older, reports TMZ. Critics consider Scientology a brainwashing cult, and it's rumored that Holmes was uncomfortable with the idea of raising Suri as a Scientologist. (Holmes has reportedly returned to the Roman Catholic faith in which she was raised.) Holmes reportedly "wanted guarantees in the settlement to ensure nothing is done while their daughter is with Cruise that would 'alienate' Suri from her," says Richard Winton at The Los Angeles Times.
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2. Cruise wants a 'meaningful' relationship with Suri
Cruise was reportedly adamant that the settlement give him a "meaningful, significant" relationship with Suri, says TMZ. Suri's welfare was reportedly the only thing preventing the couple from engaging in all-out "parental warfare," says TMZ. Holmes wanted to strip Cruise "of all decision-making power in Suri's life," and Cruise "responded by unleashing the biggest legal guns around to fight her."
3. Holmes and Suri will live in New York
The divorce will likely see Holmes and Suri living in New York City, where they have been spotted in recent days, say J.D. Heyman and Elizabeth Leonard at People. Based on the terms of their 2006 prenuptial agreement, Holmes is likely entitled to $15 million in alimony payments from Cruise, whose fortune is estimated at $250 million, says Patience Haggin at TIME. When financial support for Suri is factored in, Cruise can expect to shell out a total of $40 million, says Bill Zwecker at The Chicago Sun-Times. Furthermore, Holmes will likely keep a $35 million Beverly Hills mansion she bought with Cruise in 2007, says Georgia Littlejohn at Britain's The Daily Mail.
4. Holmes used disposable phones to outwit Cruise
Holmes used disposable cell phones to round up a team of divorce lawyers without her husband's knowledge, say Winton, John Horn, and Harriet Ryan at The Los Angeles Times. Holmes hired three law firms in three states before she dropped a "bombshell phone call" on Cruise, says Michelle Tauber at People. Holmes' father, an attorney, reportedly helped her orchestrate the top-secret strategy, which appears to have achieved the desired result: A "lightning-fast settlement" that gave Holmes primary custody of Suri, says Tauber.
Sources: The Chicago Sun-Times, The Daily Beast, The Daily Mail, E!, The Huffington Post, The Los Angeles Times (2), People (2) (3), TIME, TMZ (2) (3)
