Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy are responding to Michael Oher’s legal petition, declaring they “treated [Michael] like a son” and are willing to release him from conservatorship.
Lawyers for the Tuohy family addressed Oher’s allegations in a press conference in Memphis on Wednesday after the retired NFL star, 37, filed a legal petition to terminate the conservatorship Monday, alleging that the Tuohy family lied to him about becoming adopted at the age of 18.
“If that’s what he wants to do is terminate it, we’re glad to do so,” said attorney Randall Fishman. “As a matter of fact, it is our intent to offer to enter into a consent order as it relates to the conservatorship, and then if they have other issues, we’ll deal with them.”
Asked why Oher was not adopted during the initial legal proceedings, Fishman said “It didn’t make any difference to the Tuohys.”
The lawyer added: “There was one thing to accomplish and that was to make him part of the family so that the NCAA would be satisfied because Sean would have been a booster of the university.”
Michael Oher, Who Inspired ‘The Blind Side,’ Alleges Family Made Millions While Lying About Adopting Him
The relationship between Oher and the Tuohys was highlighted in the 2009 film The Blind Side. Oher claims the family earned millions from what he said was his falsified life story, which starred Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw.
Fishman and attorney Steven Farese also addressed the profits that each member of the family reportedly made from the film.
Oher alleged in his petition that the Tuohys — including their two birth children, Collins Tuohy and Sean Tuohy Jr. — were paid $225,000 for the film plus 2.5% of the film’s proceeds and did not include him.
“Well, each member of the family has received the same amount of money,” said Farese, adding that Oher was included. “So, imagine a pie divided by five, okay? We estimate each person received $100,000 – each person in the family.”
A source close to the film told PEOPLE Wednesday that the Tuohys have received approximately $700,000 total in rights, payments, and profits, which was intended to be divided between the family members — Sean, Leigh Anne, their two biological children, and Oher.
Farese added that the Tuohy family provided Oher with “love and affection” apart from assisting him financially during his college years. “They did not share in his money. They did not control any shoe contracts, anything of that nature. The Tuohys treated him like a son,” he said, calling the situation “devasting to the family.”
When asked why the conservatorship was not ended sooner, Fishman said that “nobody even thought about it.”
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Oher, said Fishman, “did all of his own finances. He entered his own contracts. He has his own agents.”
Where Is the ‘Blind Side’ Family Now? What to Know About Michael Oher and the Tuohys
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Matthew Sharpe/Getty
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Farese also claimed that the Tuohys and Oher have been estranged for the last 10 years, adding that Oher has allegedly become “more and more vocal and more and more threatening.”
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE on Wednesday, Oher’s rep addressed the recent Tuohy family comments regarding the legal petition. “We continue to stand with Michael and the statement he released. We also concur with his attorney, Don Barrett, we believe that justice will be served in a courtroom where cases are based on facts.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education