Current:Home > InvestNovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Center:Tuohy family paid Michael Oher $138,000 from proceeds of 'The Blind Side' movie, filing shows -AssetTrainer
NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Center:Tuohy family paid Michael Oher $138,000 from proceeds of 'The Blind Side' movie, filing shows
Surpassing View
Date:2025-04-09 22:03:51
The NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank CenterTuohy 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.
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
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
veryGood! (13443)
Related
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- Bosnian police arrest 5 ex-Serb troops suspected of participating in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre
- Oprah Winfrey and Arthur C. Brooks are out with a new book on happiness
- Watch Jennifer Aniston Catch Her First Glimpse of Jon Hamm in The Morning Show Season 3 Teaser
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- 1 student dead, 2 others injured in school shooting in Greensburg, Louisiana
- 'A promising step:' NASA says planet 8.6 times bigger than Earth could support life
- Matthew McConaughey says he's 'working on the riddle of life' in new book 'Just Because'
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- CDC panel recommends updated COVID vaccines. Shots could be ready this week
Ranking
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- U.S. sets record for billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2023
- California lawmakers OK bills banning certain chemicals in foods and drinks
- BP chief Bernard Looney resigns over past relationships with colleagues
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Have spicy food challenges become too extreme?
- McCarthy directs committees to launch impeachment inquiry into Biden. Here's what that means
- Ed Sheeran crashes couple's Las Vegas wedding, surprising them with new song
Recommendation
Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
Cruise ship with 206 people has run aground in northwestern Greenland, no injuries, no damage
Houston Rockets’ Kevin Porter Jr. fractured girlfriend’s vertebrae in NYC assault, prosecutors say
Sophie Turner Spotted for the First Time Since Joe Jonas Divorce Announcement
Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
Hundreds of Bahrain prisoners suspend hunger strike as crown prince to visit United States
4th-grade teacher charged with rape of 12-year-old Tennessee boy; 'multiple victims' possible, police say
Wisconsin GOP to pursue nonpartisan redistricting to avoid having state justices toss maps