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The Blind Side: WHO lied

 
WI_cricfan 2023-08-17 18:29:45 

OHER or De Tuohy's

The Tuohy family intends to enter a consent order to end their conservatorship for former NFL offensive lineman Michael Oher, their lawyer told the Associated Press on Wednesday.

Oher had been seeking to end the conservatorship, which has been in place since they brought him into their home when he was 18, while claiming the family made millions off his name through the movie "The Blind Side."

Oher reportedly accused the Tuohys of lying to him while having him sign papers to make them his conservators rather than his adoptive parents in a petition filed Monday in Tennessee. He reportedly requested a full accounting of the assets tied to his name, claiming he received nothing from a movie based on his story that made more than $300 million at the box office.

The Tuohys' lawyers, however, claimed Oher already knew he wasn't adopted, noting that he described the couple as his conservators three times in his 2011 book “I Beat The Odds: From Homeless, To The Blind Side,” and that he has been estranged from the family for more than a decade. One of the lawyers, Steve Farese, claimed Oher has become “more and more vocal and more and more threatening” since the estrangement, saying it is “devastating for the family.”

 
Ayenmol 2023-08-17 19:52:03 

I have never seen the movie. But the story is well known. Families, even those that are related by blood can, and do fight over money. However one of the reasons i never watched the movie is because i feel like some of these families look at it as an investment more than anything else. Does it help the kids? Yes....but why conservatorship over adoption?

 
Brerzerk 2023-08-19 01:16:08 

You are right about ppl investing rather than the deed done primarily out of humanity. Movie still worth a watch though. Bullock is a good actor. Rest of cast complemented well. They also lied about the extent of his Mom's addiction

 
Halliwell 2023-08-19 03:39:37 

This is a tough one. From the first time I saw the movie I thought it was uncomfortable. I can well imagine the guy would feel aggrieved. They practically portrayed him as mentally disabled!

 
KTom 2023-08-19 07:53:14 

In reply to Halliwell

They practically portrayed him as mentally disabled!



And yet he's claiming that he was blissfully unaware until recently of his legal status since 2004. In that time - going by Wikipedia - he agreed a $13.8 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens, a $20 million contract with the Tennessee Titans, a $7 million contract with the Carolina Panthers and an extension with same worth $21.6 million with $9.5 million guaranteed. Were the Tuohys legally obliged parties to these contracts? If yes, how could Oher not be aware of the conservatoirship (in contradistinction to being adopted); if no, what legal or practical standing does the arrangement actually have? As no mention of these monies are made in the news reports, one assumes most, if not all, of his career earnings went directly to Oher. Is he still financially secure or is there a suspicion that he's burned through most of it and is looking for another income stream? If so, Hollywood lawyers could probably disabuse him of this notion in five minutes.

The Tuohys' lawyers, however, claimed Oher already knew he wasn't adopted, noting that he described the couple as his conservators three times in his 2011 book “I Beat The Odds: From Homeless, To The Blind Side,”


Well, that assumes a certain level of involvement by Oher in the book.

 
Halliwell 2023-08-19 08:54:45 

In reply to KTom

If I remember correctly the movie had a line where the mother was asking him ‘do you want/ we would like you] to join our family’

That’s adoption? I’m no quack lawyer like sudden

 
Curtis 2023-08-19 12:29:56 

In reply to KTom

He's after money from the movie.

 
Casper 2023-08-19 18:23:25 

In reply to Curtis


And, why shouldn't he?

 
KTom 2023-08-21 16:04:45 



A statement from Tuohy family attorney, Martin Singer:

Anyone with a modicum of common sense can see that the outlandish claims made by Michael Oher about the Tuohy family are hurtful and absurd. The idea that the Tuohys have ever sought to profit off Mr. Oher is not only offensive, it is transparently ridiculous. Through hard work and good fortune, Sean and Leigh Anne have made an extraordinary amount of money in the restaurant business. The notion that a couple worth hundreds of millions of dollars would connive to withhold a few thousand dollars in profit participation payments from anyone – let alone from someone they loved as a son – defies belief.

In reality, the Tuohys opened their home to Mr. Oher, offered him structure, support and, most of all, unconditional love. They have consistently treated him like a son and one of their three children. His response was to threaten them, including saying that he would plant a negative story about them in the press unless they paid him $15 million.

When Michael Lewis, a friend of Sean's since childhood, was approached about turning his book on Mr. Oher and the Tuohys into a movie about their family, his agents negotiated a deal where they received a small advance from the production company and a tiny percentage of net profits. They insisted that any money received be divided equally. And they have made good on that pledge.

The evidence – documented in profit participation checks and studio accounting statements – is clear: over the years, the Tuohys have given Mr. Oher an equal cut of every penny received from The Blind Side. Even recently, when Mr. Oher started to threaten them about what he would do unless they paid him an eight-figure windfall, and, as part of that shakedown effort refused to cash the small profit checks from the Tuohys, they still deposited Mr. Oher's equal share into a trust account they set up for his son.

Additionally, in spite of the false allegation in the lawsuit, the Tuohys have always been upfront about how a conservatorship (from which not one penny was received) was established to assist with Mr. Oher's needs, ranging from getting him health insurance and obtaining a driver's license to helping with college admissions. Should Mr. Oher wish to terminate the conservatorship, either now or at anytime in the future, the Tuohys will never oppose it in any way.

Unbeknownst to the public, Mr. Oher has actually attempted to run this play several times before – but it seems that numerous other lawyers stopped representing him once they saw the evidence and learned the truth. Sadly, Mr. Oher has finally found a willing enabler and filed this ludicrous lawsuit as a cynical attempt to drum up attention in the middle of his latest book tour.

The Tuohys will always care deeply for Mr. Oher. They are heartbroken over these events. They desperately hope that he comes to regret his recent decisions, makes different choices in the future and that they someday can be reconciled with him. In the meantime, however, they will not hesitate to defend their good names, stand up to this shakedown and defeat this offensive lawsuit.


Link

Ouch!

 
Halliwell 2023-08-21 18:17:15 

In reply to KTom

They CARE for Mr Oher and allow a lawyer to write that so the chap will ‘come to his senses’

Well, I guess the more things change the more they stay the same- they will always be here for poor mr Oher

 
Curtis 2023-08-21 19:39:06 

In reply to Casper

Absolutely. He deserves a big cut from movie revenues.

 
KTom 2023-08-22 14:24:04 

In reply to Curtis

Why? What was his contribution to the film? Zero as far as I can see.

 
WI_cricfan 2023-08-22 20:47:09 

In reply to KTom

This is all a publicity stunt for his book tour