Earlier this week, Oher presented his case in a Tennessee court, saying the Tuohy family fooled him into signing a conservatorship that only benefited them and did not share the profits from "The Blind Side" movie fairly.
However, the Tuohy family's lawyers argue that the profits from the film were spread evenly among the family, including Oher. They also say he was fully aware of the conservatorship and its purpose.
It's worth noting that the Tuohys are already wealthy on their own and don't seem to have a motive to exploit Oher for money.
From The New York Post:
Tuohy family attorneys Randy Fishman and Steven Farese Sr. rejected Oher’s claims on Wednesday, telling reporters “a pretty simple (accounting) process” will soon debunk the allegations, The Tennessean reported.
Michael Lewis, who wrote the book the blockbuster was based on, told the Washington Post that the Memphis family had not gotten rich from the movie — and that he split the $250,000 he was paid by 20th Century Fox with the family.
Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy said they split their half of the deal evenly among the five members of the family, including Oher.
That and the 2.5% of all future proceeds from the movie, which equate to about $500,000, have also been split among Sean, Leigh Anne, their two biological children (SJ and Collins), and Oher, they said.
“Michael got every dime, every dime he had coming,” Fishman said.
“They don’t need his money. They’ve never needed his money. Mr. Tuohy sold his company for $220 million,” Farese added.
The Tuohys’ attorneys also contended that Oher was well aware he had never been adopted.
Fishman said the former football star mentioned that the couple were his conservators three times in “I Beat The Odds: From Homeless, To The Blind Side,” his 2011 memoir.
“There was one major event that happened right after I graduated high school: I became a legal member of the Tuohy family,” Oher wrote. “It felt kind of like a formality, as I’d been a part of the family for more than a year at that point.”
This just proves that there are always two sides to a story.
I have to say, I felt a bit disheartened when I first heard Oher's accusations against the Tuohys, but I couldn't help but be doubtful about the timing of this lawsuit.
I mean, why is Oher suddenly bringing up all these claims after all these years? Something doesn't quite add up...
