Oher, whose life impressed the Oscar-winning movie “The Blind Facet,” claimed final month the Tuohy household had lied to him about being adopted
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Sean Tuohy, Michael Oher, and Leigh Anne Tuohy
Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy say they “are prepared, prepared, and ready” to finish their conservatorship over Michael Oher, the retired NFL participant whose life impressed the Oscar-winning movie The Blind Facet, and have requested a courtroom to disclaim his request for monetary reduction.
Oher, 39, made headlines final month when he accused the Tuohys of mendacity to him about having adopted him in 2004, claiming they as a substitute tricked him right into a conservatorship that put them in command of his funds. Oher alleged the Memphis space couple made “tens of millions” off his title for the reason that movie’s 2009 launch.
The Tuohys strongly deny Oher’s allegations in a brand new authorized submitting made Thursday within the Shelby County Probate Court docket, saying they’ve “by no means signed any contract” on Oher’s behalf since he was legally positioned underneath their care at 18, and that he was paid what was owed to him from his likeness being utilized in The Blind Facet.
Within the submitting, obtained by PEOPLE, the Tuohys admit they’ve known as Oher their son “within the colloquial sense they usually have by no means meant that reference to be seen with authorized implication.”
“There was by no means an intent to undertake him,” the Tuohys say, denying Oher’s declare that referring to him as a member of the family had brought about “any irreparable hurt” to him.
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Michael Oher and Sean Tuohy
“In truth, they’ve at all times felt that the Petitioner was like a son and have used that once in a while however not in a authorized sense,” they state.
Oher claimed final month that he discovered this previous February that he was underneath a conservatorship with the Tuohys and was not really adopted. The Tuohys say within the new submitting that his timeline is “demonstratively false” as a result of Oher wrote about being in a conservatorship in his 2011 memoir, I Beat The Odds.
The Tuohys say the “sole function” of forming the conservatorship initially was as a result of the household had hoped to skirt NCAA guidelines that may have penalized Oher for taking part in soccer on the College of Mississippi, the place the Tuohys had been donors.
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Michael Oher (middle) and the Tuohy Household
The Tuohys “vehemently deny” they seen Oher as “a gullible younger man whose athletic expertise could possibly be exploited for their very own profit,” as he claimed final month in his petition to finish the conservatorship.
Sean and Leigh Anne, each 63, declare they, their two kids, and Oher all break up proceeds from The Blind Facet equally at 20% every.
“You will need to notice that [Oher’s] share was paid to [the Tuohys] who paid the taxes due on these funds for some time frame however nonetheless minimize a test for a full share (20%) to [Oher],” Sean and Leigh Anne’s newest submitting says.
Oher didn’t reply to a request for touch upon Thursday however directed PEOPLE to succeed in out to his attorneys. A consultant for Oher instructed PEOPLE that “right now we have now no additional feedback.”
Oher, who launched a brand new memoir about his life final month, has declined to touch upon the continuing authorized battle when requested about it at ebook signings in current weeks.
Attorneys for the Tuohy household instructed PEOPLE they didn’t have an extra remark so as to add to Thursday’s submitting.
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Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy
Of their submitting, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy deny they’ve “breached” any of their duties to Oher as his conservators regardless of his allegations final month that they’d executed so by not submitting an annual accounting of his funds.
Though the kind of conservatorship the Tuohys filed in 2004 is often set as much as solely take management of Oher’s medical choices, the conservatorship submitting states the Tuohys “ought to have all powers of legal professional to behave on his behalf and additional that Oher shall not be allowed to enter into any contracts or bind himself with out the direct approval of his conservators.”
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A number of conservatorship attorneys in Tennessee instructed PEOPLE final month the association was an unusual one, with one legal professional calling the arrange “puzzling” and one other saying it was “not typical” in comparison with how conservatorships are usually arrange. Conservatorships the place funds are concerned usually require the conservators to make an annual accounting of the individual’s funds.
The Tuohys “admit they’ve by no means filed accountings,” their submitting Thursday says however claims the state by no means requested them to take action.
The couple requested the courtroom to disclaim Oher’s request for cash from the household and say they don’t consider there’s “any want for injunctive reduction” to resolve the authorized battle with him.
Oher is asking the courtroom to pressure the Tuohys to file an accounting of his funds and for the couple to pay any earnings could also be owed to him from The Blind Facet, plus curiosity.”
I do know the Tuohys are in ache however I am certain Michael Oher may be very a lot in ache too,” a supply instructed PEOPLE on the time of Oher’s submitting. “I do not suppose it is a state of affairs the place you’ve dangerous folks. There’s loads of emotion right here.”
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