Tom Cruise says he's close to daughter despite work

LOS ANGELES Tom Cruise is telling a federal court he maintains a close relationship with his daughter Suri despite his divorce from her mother Katie Holmes and a hectic film schedule.

Cruise's declaration was filed Tuesday in Los Angeles in a defamation case against Bauer Publishing Co. The actor is suing over two 2012 tabloid stories that claimed he had "abandoned" his daughter.

He writes in the two-page declaration that despite filming back-to-back movies after the divorce, he spoke with Suri nearly every day and got frequent updates from Holmes about how she was doing.

Cruise's lawyers are asking a judge to order Bauer to declare it didn't have any sources to support its contentions about his parenting role.

Bauer's lawyers argue that a judge should reject Cruise's motion.