The Tennessee nation accused by way of retired NFL big name Michael Oher of tricking him right into a conservatorship and claiming all of the proceeds from a blockbuster movie about his past answered to the allegations Tuesday by way of claiming that Oher threatened to move folk along with his tale if they didn’t pay him $15 million.

Legal professional Martin Singer issued a remark at the Tuohys’ behalf that known as Oher’s claims “outlandish” and stated “the idea that the family ever sought to profit off Mr. Oher is not only offensive, it is transparently ridiculous.”

“In reality, the Tuohys opened their home to Mr. Oher, offered him structure, support and, most of all, unconditional love,” Singer’s remark stated. “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.”

Oher’s legal professional, J. Gerard Stranch IV, declined to remark when reached by way of ESPN on Tuesday.

The tale of Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy and their efforts to support elevate Oher out of poverty to the NFL used to be immortalized within the 2009 film “The Blind Side.” On Monday, Oher petitioned a Tennessee probate court docket with allegations {that a} central part of the tale — that the Tuohys had followed him — used to be a lie concocted by way of the nation to counterpoint itself. Rather, lower than 3 months later Oher became 18 in 2004, the petition says, the couple tricked him into signing a report making them his conservators, which gave them felony authority to assemble industry offer in his identify.

The petition additional alleges that the Tuohys impaired their energy as conservators to clash a trade in that paid them and their two start kids thousands and thousands of greenbacks in royalties from an Oscar-winning movie that earned greater than $300 million, presen Oher were given not anything for a tale “that would not have existed without him.” In line with the felony submitting, the film paid the Tuohys every $225,000, plus 2.5% of the movie’s “defined net proceeds.” Within the years since, the Tuohys have persisted calling the 37-year-old Oher their followed son and feature impaired that statement to advertise their bottom in addition to Leigh Anne Tuohy’s paintings as an writer and motivational speaker.

In his remark, Singer stated brokers for Michael Lewis, writer of the bestselling conserve that turned into “The Blind Side,” negotiated a trade in wherein the Tuohy nation “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 remark stated. “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.”

Singer’s remark stated 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.”

In his court docket petition, Oher asks for a pass judgement on to stop the conservatorship granted to the Tuohys in August 2004 and likewise a complete accounting of the cash the Tuohys earned the usage of Oher’s identify, and to have the couple pay him his fair proportion of earnings, in addition to unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

Singer stated the nation won’t ban the termination in their guardianship however “will not hesitate to defend their good names, stand up to this shakedown and defeat this offensive lawsuit.”