The Tuohy family is not done defending themselves!
Just one day after Michael Oher claimed they faked his adoption, opting for a conservatorship instead so they could allegedly exploit his football career and personal story for money, the family is now accusing him of a different scheme!
In a lengthy statement to TMZ Sports on Tuesday, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy‘s lawyer Marty Singer denied the athlete’s “outlandish,” “hurtful,” and “absurd” claims — while alleging Michael previously tried to get them to pay him $15 MILLION! In a shocking reply to the drama, the attorney claimed the Baltimore Ravens player previously threatened the family to fork over millions or he’d “plant a negative story about them in the press.”
Yeesh!
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Furthermore, the lawyer insisted his clients only ever wanted what was best for Michael. As for why they had him get into a conservatorship when he was 18, he claimed it “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.” He added:
“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.”
Pretty similar to what Sean previously urged to the press…
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Singer went on to argue it was BS to claim the family used the conservatorship to broker a lucrative movie deal (for only them and their two birth children, leaving their so-called adopted son with nothing), noting the couple made their money in the restaurant business — not by exploiting a teenager in need:
“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.”
That said, Marty claimed the Tuohys “received a small advance from the production company and a tiny percentage of net profit” from The Blind Side, but insisted all the money was either shared with Oher or they had attempted to share it. He explained:
“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.”
The statement continued:
“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.”
Oof. Seems like now they’re accusing him of money grabbing!
On Friday, the retired footballer released his third book, When Your Back’s Against the Wall: Fame, Football, and Lessons Learned Through a Lifetime of Adversity. It’s certainly inneresting timing — and they’re going to use that to their advantage in this legal war!
Despite hitting back hard at the allegations, the family is “heartbroken” over the scandal and they hope to reconcile with the 37-year-old in the future. Should he continue to fight back, though, “they will not hesitate to defend their good names, stand up to this shakedown and defeat this offensive lawsuit.” Jeez. This is going to be a messy ordeal, we fear! Thoughts?! What do U make of this latest revelation?? Sound OFF (below)!
[Image via Michael Oher/Leigh Anne Tuohy/Instagram]
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