Tuohy family paid Michael Oher $138,000 from proceeds of 'The Blind Side' movie, filing shows
The Tuohy family paid Michael Oher more than $138,000 from the proceeds of “The Blind Side” movie, according to documents filed in Shelby County (Tennessee) Probate Court, contradicting part of Oher’s lawsuit against the family.
Oher, in a court petition filed in August, said he received no money from the movie and that the Tuohys and their two children made millions of dollars off the movie rights.
But as part of the ongoing lawsuit, the Tuohys filed records with the court Wednesday showing they made payments totaling $138,311.01 between 2007 and this year.
After a 10% commission was paid, one-third of the net proceeds was paid to Oher, 37, the documents show. A check for $8,526.80 in 2021 and a check for $117.30 from 2022 have not cleared, according to the court records.
Julian Wortman, a spokesperson for Oher, said the former NFL player had no comment.
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In his lawsuit filed Aug. 14, Oher accused Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy of cheating him out of money when they served as his conservator. The conservatorship ended last month.
Why did Michael Oher sue the Touhys?
The Touhys took in Oher when he was 16 and homeless and provided financial support as he blossomed into a football star. Their relationship inspired the blockbuster movie that starred Sandra Bullock, which premiered in 2009 and grossed more than $300 million.
Missing from the movie: When Oher was 18, the Tuohys became his conservators after they and Oher signed court documents. The lawsuit filed by Oher asserted he was deceived into signing the conservatorship papers – which allowed the Tuohys to control his finances – and he thought the family was adopting him.
The Tuohys have said they had no intention of adopting Oher and, in court records filed Wednesday, said they spent tens of thousands of dollars of their own money on Oher while he attended high school and college.
Through their lawyers, the Tuohys have called Oher's lawsuit a “shakedown” and “transparently ridiculous.
Oher, an offensive lineman, made more than $30 million during his eight-year NFL career that ended in 2016, per Spotrac. The Touhys have said they made more than $200 million from selling a string of fast food restaurants.
Both sides have subpoenaed financial records from each other.
While the financial dispute continues, a Tennessee judge said last month she is ending the conservatorship and the Tuohys said they had no objections.
What judge said about Michael Oher conservatorship
Kathleen Gomes, the judge presiding over the case, has expressed concerns.
An Associated Press report said Gomes was disturbed the conservatorship agreement was ever reached. In her 43-year career, Gomes said, she had never seen such an agreement reached with someone who was not disabled, according to the Associated Press.
“I cannot believe it got done,” she said, per the Associated Press.
Oher’s court petition alleges there has been no accounting filed in reference to payments Oher may have received during the 19 years the conservatorship was in place.
"That suggests the court has been asleep at the wheel," Syracuse University law professor Nina Kohn told USA TODAY Sports, adding, “If in fact, there had been no accountings provided, that is damning and not just on the conservators, but the court system."
The petition also alleged that in the contract between 20th Century Fox and the Touhys and Oher, the attorney listed to receive contract and payment notices for Oher was Debbie Branan, a close friend of the family who is also the attorney of record in the conservatorship for Oher.
"That should raise a big, red flag," said Kohn, noting the conflict of interest.
"Here, where you have somebody who appears to be – again, only if these allegations are true – representing both the petitioners for a conservatorship and the person who they’re petitioning for conservatorship over, that’s a bit concerning," Kohn said. "Because it’s a little bit like representing the defendant and plaintiff in the same lawsuit."
Is 'The Blind Side' a true story?
Parts of it are true: Oher was homeless when he moved in with the Tuohys and he struggled academically before they provided him with a tutor.
It was clearly a warm relationship as he developed into a coveted high school recruit, a college All-American and a first-round NFL pick.
Oher was the 23rd overall pick of the 2009 NFL draft by the Baltimore Ravens. He who won a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens in 2013 and also played for the Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers before his NFL career came to an end.
But Oher has said the filmmakers did not accurately depict his intelligence – he made the honor roll at Ole Miss – and his football ability before he moved in with the Tuohys.
Contributing: Chris Bumbaca