Sean and Lee Ann Tuohy, the couple who took in former Ole Miss and NFL offensive lineman Michael Oher when he was in high school, have rejected allegations that Oher was cheated out of custody and enriched by his story, according to a court filing in response. to O’Hare’s petition in August. Here’s what you need to know:
- In their response filed Thursday, the Toohis strongly denied exploiting O’Hare for their own gain and forging his signature on film negotiations.
- Lawyers for the Tuohys estimated that the four members of the Tuohy family and O’Hare earned $100,000 each from the film.
- O’Hare initially released his 14-page petition in August, alleging that the Toohes lied about adopting him when they served him paperwork to make him his guardian months after he turned 18.
- In their four-page response, the Toohis said they were “ready, willing and able to terminate the conservatorship by consent at any time.”
What does the response say?
The Tuohys said they received a $200,000 donation to their foundation from proceeds from the film. They added that O’Hare “had the opportunity to receive exactly the same amount” but “failed to take the necessary actions to start the foundation despite the recommendation” of the Toohes and their attorneys.
The couple acknowledged in response that they had named O’Hare after their adopted son, but said they referred to him that way “in a colloquial sense and never intended that reference to be seen as a legal implication.”
Dramatic story
Oher’s conservatorship was filed with the Tuohys in August 2004 and gave the Tuohys legal authority over Oher’s business dealings, which included regulating financial arrangements from “The Blind Side.” O’Hare, 37, said he wants to end the conservatorship.
Go deeper
Explaining the preservation timeline for “The Blind Side.”
In his petition, O’Hare’s lawyers claimed that the Tooheys negotiated a deal with Twentieth Century Fox that guaranteed them and their two children $225,000 each, plus 2.5 percent of the “net specified proceeds” from “The Blind Side.” The film reportedly grossed more than $300 million. A separate contract O’Hare allegedly signed in 2007 “appears to cede to Fox, without any payment whatsoever” the life rights to his story, the petition said. O’Hare claims he does not remember signing such a document, according to the filing.
“Michael’s adoption lie is one by which co-governors, Lee Ann Tuohy and Sean Tuohy, enriched themselves at the expense of their ward, the undersigned Michael O’Hare,” the petition reads. “Michael O’Hare discovered this lie to his dismay and embarrassment in February of 2023, when he learned that the guardianship he had agreed to on the understanding that it would make him a member of the Toohey family, did not actually provide him with any familial relationship with the Tooheys.”
O’Hare, the No. 23 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, retired in 2017 after playing for three teams and helping the Baltimore Ravens win the Super Bowl.
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(Photo: Matthew Sharp/Getty Images)
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