‘The Blind Side’ Family Petition Case Took A New Turn After Tuohy Family Revealed That “There was never an intent to adopt him.”
The Tuohy family from the bestseller “The Blind Side” book and movie remain confident that they did not defraud Michael Oher.
In a complaint filed last month, Oher claimed that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy tricked him into agreeing to a conservatorship instead of a legal adoption and then took advantage of the arrangement to amass millions of dollars in movie profits for themselves.
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The Tuohy family refutes these allegations in a court document filed this week in Shelby County Probate Court that People was able to access.
The Tuohy family’s most recent declaration stated, “There was never an intent to adopt him,” and refuted the claim that referring to Oher as a member of their family caused “irreparable harm” to the former NFL player.
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Furthermore, according to the Tuohys’ filing, when they referred to Oher as their son, they did so “in the colloquial sense and they have never intended that reference to be viewed with legal implication.”
“In fact, they have always felt that the Petitioner was like a son and have used that on occasion but not in a legal sense,” the filing further said.
The petition prompted Oher’s attorney, Don Barrett, to issue a statement to People saying, “We look forward to Mike finally getting his day in court, where we are confident that the truth will prevail.”
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The Tuohy family also reaffirmed what they had previously asserted in their legal petition, namely that Oher received an equal share of the profits from “The Blindside” as Sean, Leigh Anne, and their two children.
“It is important to note that [Oher’s] share was paid to [the Tuohys] who paid the taxes due on these funds for some period of time but still cut a check for a full share (20%) to [Oher],” the Tuohys’ filing said.
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Ole Miss, where Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy both played football, had Oher play left tackle.
Oher, who was selected in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft, played in the NFL for eight seasons with the Ravens, Titans, and Panthers.
