Blind Side Parents Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy Say They Never Intended to Adopt Mi

DHLTV

Transcript

00:00 The blindside parents, Sean and Leanne Toohey,

00:03 claim they never intended to adopt Michael Orr.

00:06 Why'd you do this for me?

00:08 What?

00:09 Everything.

00:10 Was it for you or was it for me?

00:11 Was it so I would go to school where you wanted?

00:14 In new legal docs obtained by ET, the Toohey's deny Michael's claims

00:19 that they lied about adopting him and tricked him into a conservatorship

00:22 in order to profit off his story.

00:25 We believe the proof will show that he was not cheated out of anything.

00:30 He was not misled.

00:33 The fact of the matter is he claims he was tricked into believing he was adopted.

00:39 In the Toohey's response, the couple claims they never intended to, and in fact never

00:44 did, take any assumed legal custody of Michael when they took him in as a teenager.

00:50 And they vehemently deny that they told Michael they intended to legally adopt him.

00:55 The Toohey's admit they occasionally referred to Michael as a son and have always felt like

01:00 he was a son, but they allege that the word "son" was used in the colloquial sense.

01:05 Quote, "They have never intended that reference to be viewed with legal implication."

01:11 How are Sean and Leanne handling all of this right now?

01:15 Like a death in the family.

01:17 It's a family being fragmented.

01:21 As for why the Toohey's chose a conservatorship, the couple claims it all started when the

01:26 then-teen was presented with the opportunity to play college football.

01:30 They claim Michael couldn't consider going to the University of Mississippi as a result

01:35 of living with their family, adding that the NCAA made it clear the only way he could attend

01:40 Ole Miss is if he was a part of the family, and the conservatorship was the tool chosen

01:46 to accomplish this goal.

01:47 Quote, "There was never an intent to adopt him."

01:51 The Toohey's also allege that Michael's claim that he only found out about the conservatorship

01:55 in February is false, citing his 2011 book, I Beat the Odds, as alleged proof.

02:02 The problem is he wrote a book.

02:04 In the book he says it was a conservatorship.

02:08 Sean and Leanne would be named as my legal conservators.

02:12 They explained to me that it means pretty much the exact same thing as "adoptive parents."

02:17 He's saying, "Well, I was tricked when the conservatorship was first signed."

02:25 Four years later he's not complaining about it.

02:28 Now the couple says they are ready, willing, and able to terminate the conservatorship

02:32 by consent at any time.

02:34 Never had one before.

02:37 What a room to yourself.

02:39 I bet.

02:40 The blindside grossed over $300 million at the box office.

02:45 Michael claims he didn't make a cent, but the Toohey family attorneys disagree, and

02:49 they claim to have a paper trail to prove it.

02:53 We estimate each person received $100,000.

02:56 Each person in the family.

02:59 Including Mr. Horgan.

03:00 Correct.

03:01 Is there any thought that maybe he should have gotten a bigger slice than one-fifth

03:05 of the pot, than an equal?

03:07 I don't know.

03:08 What was the movie about?

03:09 A family taking in a person who had suffered a hard life.

03:15 And every family member sacrificed in that.

03:19 You protect his blindside.

03:20 When you look at him, you think of me.

03:22 Is this something that you see that could actually go to trial?

03:25 There's not going to be a second.

03:26 I don't know.

03:27 I don't know.

03:29 (bells chiming)

03:32 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Category

Transcript

Recommended