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In August, former NFL offensive lineman Michael Oher filed a lawsuit against the Tuohy family, who took him in during high school and helped him get into the University of Mississippi to play college football. The story was then turned into the movie, “The Blind Side.”
In the lawsuit, Oher claimed the Tuohy family lied about adopting him while tricking him into a conservatorship. Oher also claimed that he never received any money for the movie, while the Tuohy parents and their two children received all the money from the film.
The Tuohy family have filed a legal response to Oher's claims, denying his accusations. In the response, Sean and Leigh-Anne Tuohy deny the claims that they took all the profits from the film and did share them with Oher.
“All of the Tuohy family including the petitioner agreed to this arrangement, where each party would get 20% of proceeds paid,” the response said. The response went on to say the family received a portion of the $225,000 paid to acclaimed author Michael Lewis, whose best-selling book was the basis for the film,” via ESPN's Michael A. Fletcher.
“The couple also said they received a $200,000 donation to their foundation from the film's proceeds. Oher had the opportunity to receive the same amount for the charity of his choice but “failed to take the necessary action.”
In the response, Sean and Leigh-Anne Tuohy claim they took the path of the conservatorship because that was how they could help Michael Oher get into Ole Miss. The Tuohy family also said that they never claimed to legally adopt Oher, but used the term to describe their relationship with Michael Oher.
“They never intended that reference to be viewed with legal implication,” via Fletcher.
