Tuohy family claims Michael Oher was paid for 'The Blind Side,' say there was 'never an intent to adopt him'
Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy are denying former NFL star Michael Oher's claims that they allegedly tricked him into a conservatorship and didn't pay him for his life story being depicted in the 2009 film "The Blind Side."
In new court filings made Sept. 14 in the Shelby County Probate Court in Tennessee, the couple claim that earnings from the Oscar winning film were made equally between them, their two biological children and Oher, with each person receiving 20% of the proceeds.
"The Blind Side," which was based on the 2006 book "The Blind Side: Evolution of the Game," was nominated for best picture at the 2010 Academy Awards and won Sandra Bullock the best actress trophy. It accrued more than $300 million at the worldwide box office, according to The Numbers.
Oher, 37, previously alleged in a petition filed on Aug. 14 that he received "nothing for his rights to a … story that would not have existed without him."
At the time, the Tuohys said in a statement that they "insisted that any money received be divided equally" and that over the years they'd given Oher "an equal cut of every penny received" from the film.
Oher's other major claim in his initial filing was that the Tuohys tricked him, at 18, into signing documents which he thought were adoption papers but were actually for a conservatorship, which he is still under.
"Michael Oher discovered this lie to his chagrin and embarrassment in February of 2023, when he learned that the Conservatorship to which he consented on the basis that doing so would make him a member of the Tuohy family, in fact provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys," Oher's petition read.
In their filing Thursday, the Tuohys "vehemently deny that they told [Oher] that they intended to legally adopt him." They also claim they "...occasionally referred to [him] as a son" but only "...in the colloquial sense and they have never intended that reference to be viewed with legal implication."
"Further, the efforts to open a conservatorship only began as a result of Petitioner's opportunity to play college football," the filing reads. "There was never an intent to adopt him."
The Tuohys also refute Oher's claim that he didn't know about the conservatorship, alleging that passages from his 2011 memoir "I Beat the Odds" indicate he was aware of the situation.
Regarding Oher's petition asking for the conservatorship to be terminated, the Tuohys said in their previous statement they would "never oppose" that "in any way."
They echoed that in their filing, saying they "stand ready, willing, and able to terminate the conservatorship by consent at any time."
The Tuohys' filing asks for the court to "deny all the relief sought by [Oher]."
Oher's attorney issued a statement Friday, following the Tuohys' court filing, saying, "The Tuohys have filed a response within the deadline required by Mike's Petition. We look forward to Mike finally getting his day in court, where we are confident that the truth will prevail."
ABC News has reached out to lawyers for the Tuohys for comment on this week's filing, but has not yet received a response.
