Michael Oher, the retired NFL offensive lineman whose life story was the subject of hit 2009 movie “The Blind Side,” petitioned a Tennessee court Monday alleging that the family who took him in never legally adopted him and only did so to profit at his expense.
The Hollywood version of the story is that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy made Oher, then in the foster system, a member of their family, which included two children. Oher went on to become a college and NFL star. But the 14-page petition filed in Shelby County, Tennessee, probate court alleges that the Tuohys deceived Oher into making the couple his conservators, giving them legal authority to make business dealings in his name.
Oher was told that for all intents and purposes it was an adoption, but that because he was over 18, it would be called a “conservatorship.” Court records show that a conservatorship was signed on Dec. 7, 2004.
“The Tuohys have falsely and publicly represented themselves as the adoptive parents of Michael, continuing to the date of the filing of this petition. … Such false and public misrepresentations have caused irreparable injury, loss and damage,” the petition said.
The petition also alleges that the Tuohys secured a royalties deal for themselves and their children for “The Blind Side,” while Oher received nothing. According to the petition, the family began negotiations with 20th Century Fox shortly after Michael Lewis’ 2006 book “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game.” The petition says that Oher’s signature was required for the Tuohys and their children to negotiate their own deals worth $225,000 as well as 2.5% of all future “defined net proceeds.”
“The Blind Side” made more than $300 million at the box office. For her portrayal of Leigh Anne Touhy, Sandra Bullock won the Oscar for Best Actress.
Oher, per the filing, is seeking an end to the conservatorship and an injunction barring the Tuohys from using his name and likeness, as well as a full accounting of the profits they made using his name.
“I am disheartened by the revelation shared in the lawsuit today,” Oher said in a statement. “This is a difficult situation for my family and me. I want to ask everyone to please respect our privacy at this time. For now, I will let the lawsuit speak for itself and will offer no further comment.”
Oher signed the conservatorship three months after his 18th birthday, per the petition, ahead of his senior year of high school. He went on to play at Ole Miss, the Tuohys’ alma mater, a development that the NCAA investigated, and was a first-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2009. Oher played 110 career games; five seasons with the Ravens before one year with the Tennessee Titans and two with the Carolina Panthers.