Your Tom and Katie Rumor-Mill Roundup

The NY Daily News: Holmes and her 6-year-old daughter were lying low in their new Manhattan apartment as a creepy crew reportedly from the Church of Scientology watched their every move. The actress and her child, Suri, have stayed out of sight since she blindsided hubby Tom Cruise by filing for divorce in New York.

TMZ: Katie Holmes believes Scientology now views her as a threat to the organization and has put a team on her tail … sources close to the actress tell TMZ.  (PGTW editors note: Scientology has denied the claim, this can also be read on TMZ.)

We’re told Katie believes in recent weeks — as the discord between her and Tom Cruise grew — Scientology has been following her moves, especially in New York City.

This does not appear to be the mind of a paranoid person. People who have photographed Katie multiple times tell TMZ there have been several “mysterious” men and vehicles around Katie’s apartment and following her when she’s out.

Specifically … a white Cadillac Escalade and black Mercedes SUV (see above) have been seen near Katie’s NYC apartment for the past week.

FYI — there is a publication that has put a tail on Katie, but the people doing that are separate from the people Katie believes have been dispatched from Scientology.

Newsday: Following the surprise announcement of Katie Holmes‘ divorce filing, Tom Cruise has retained the attorney he used in his 2001 divorce of his second wife, Nicole Kidman. Dennis Wasser will again represent the “Mission: Impossible” movie-series star, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday, adding that Cruise, who turns 50 Tuesday, is also seeking an attorney in New York…

 LA TIMES:  Because Katie Holmes filed for divorce from Tom Cruise outside of California, it could help protect her privacy as the celebrity breakup winds through the courts, one legal veteran says.No case has been filed in Los Angeles County, where the couple have a home, court officials said. The decision to file in New York rather than California might have been one of convenience — Holmes and the couple’s daughter are currently living in New York — but it also might reflect a desire for privacy.

“My guess is that she brought it in New York because files are sealed,” said Manhattan attorney Raoul Felder, a veteran of high-profile divorce cases. “If it was in California, it’s all public and you can walk into the clerk’s office and get the papers.”

A Source tells E! Online: “They had become more like friends,” says the anonymous insider, who adds that Cruise knew this was coming. The big problem in the relationship wasn’t Scientology, but that TC’s career “came first.”

 

TMZ: The final straw in Katie Holmes‘ decision to file for divorce was that she was convinced Tom Cruise was going to send 6-year-old Suri away to a hardcore Scientology organization known as Sea Organization … sources connected with Katie tell TMZ.

Sea Org, as it is known, is where the highest levels of Scientology are taught and kids as young as five can be sent to live there … without their parents — and our sources say Tom is a big fan.