Settling != agreeing the other party was right. Lots of times it makes financial sense to settle even if the other person was completely wrong.
e.g. When you have a legal issue holding up the close of your $1bn deal and you have to choose between paying up so you can get your deal closed, or dragging it out over 1-3 years in a protracted legal battle that risks never getting the deal done.
And sometimes Stettling == agreeing the other party was right. In the recent GoldiBlox suing the Beastie Boys which resulted in a swift counter-suit, the settlement to drop the lawsuits included a public statement by GoldiBlox. That statement accounted to an admission of guilt and explained that GoldiBlox was in the wrong. Sometimes financial sense can be dictated by legal standing as well.
So you are saying, without in-depth knowledge about the situation, that even though they settled and publicly agreed that he was indeed a cofounder, that he is lying and Cruise is wrong? I choose to believe the court record.
e.g. When you have a legal issue holding up the close of your $1bn deal and you have to choose between paying up so you can get your deal closed, or dragging it out over 1-3 years in a protracted legal battle that risks never getting the deal done.