BBC News Online: Entertainment: Showbiz

Cruise lawsuit uncontested

Kidman and Cruise split in February

Chad Slater, who is professionally known as Kyle Bradford, stands accused of telling a French magazine he was having an affair with Cruise.

Slater maintains that he never made the claims and that he does not even know the Hollywood superstar.

But he has filed court papers saying he will not contest the case, which was due for a hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday.

Slater said he had chosen not to "feed into this media circus", to spare his parents the grief of the case going to trial.

The 33-year-old said his parents are strict Catholics and did not know he was gay.

The story was originally printed in the French gossip magazine Acustar, which quoted Slater as saying his relationship with the actor caused the break-up of Cruise and Nicole Kidman.

Bankruptcy

The magazine agreed to publish a retraction and Slater said the magazine admits it never interviewed him.

Slater commented that defaulting on the lawsuit would have no effect because he had no money.

He said: "If (Cruise's lawyers) persist, they will get a judgment against me for $100m (£68.8m). Then I file bankruptcy and it's dismissed."

"They exposed me and my whole personal life by doing this to me.

"It's like I'm being harassed by the celebrity... I don't think I ever want to see another Tom Cruise movie in my life."

Cruise filed the lawsuit on 2 May, alleging Slater told Acustar he was the actor's lover.

The court papers state: "Cruise is not and has never been a homosexual."