When NFL star Michael Oher, who inspired the movie Blind Side, sued the Tuohys for making millions from a lie

Former NFL player Michael Oher became famous for his alleged adoption by a wealthy person. The White family, as depicted in the 2009 film The Blind Side, filed a lawsuit. They claim that the central narrative of the story was a fabrication designed to financially benefit the Tuohy family at their expense.

On Monday, Oher filed a 14-page petition in the Shelby County, Tennessee, probate court alleging that Sean. Leigh Anne Tuohy took him into her home during his high school years. However, she never actually adopted him.

The petition claims that just three months after Oher turned 18, in 2004, the Tuohys tricked him into signing a document that made them his conservators. Thus granting them the power to make business decisions on its behalf.

Michael Oher sues Tuohys for The blind side profits

The petition further claims that the Tuohys exploited their conservatorship status to enter into a deal that paid them and their two biological children millions in royalties from the Oscar-winning film, which grossed more than $300 million , while Oher received nothing for a story that revolved around him. . Despite this, the Tuohys reportedly continued to present Oher as their adopted son, using this account to further their foundation and Leigh Anne Tuohy’s career as an author and motivational speaker.

“The lie of Michael’s adoption is a lie upon which co-conservators Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy have enriched themselves at the expense of their ward, the undersigned Michael Oher,” the legal filing states. “Michael Oher discovered this lie to his dismay and embarrassment in February 2023, when he learned that the conservatorship to which he had consented on the basis that it would make him a member of the Tuohy family provided him with no family connection to the Tuohys.”

The Tuohy family has not yet commented on these allegations. Their lawyer, Steve Farese, indicated that a legal response would be forthcoming. Sean Tuohy expressed shock at Oher’s claims, stating that the family did not profit from the film, only from the book by Michael Lewis that inspired it.

Oher’s petition seeks to end the Tuohys’ conservatorship and requests an injunction to prevent them from using his name and likeness. He also demands a full accounting of the profits the Tuohys made from his story and compensation for his rightful share. Along with unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

“Since at least August 2004, the guardians have welcomed Michael, in particular, and the public. Generally, people believe that the guardians adopted Michael and used this falsehood to gain financial benefits for themselves. The foundations they own or over which they exercise control,” the petition states. “All monies earned in this manner should, in all conscience and fairness, be returned and paid to the ward in question, Michael Oher. »

Oher, a high school student who signed the guardianship papers, believed at the time that there was no significant difference between adoption and guardianship. “They explained to me that it meant pretty much the same thing as ‘adoptive parents,’ but that the laws had just been written to take my age into account,” Oher wrote in his 2011 memoir, “I Beat the Odds.”

But legally, there are crucial distinctions. If Oher had been adopted, he would have been a legal member of the Tuohy family and would have retained control over their financial affairs. Conservatorship, on the other hand, transferred that control to the Tuohys, even though Oher was a legal adult with no known disabilities.

The petition also claims that the Tuohys began negotiating a film deal regarding their relationship with Oher shortly after Lewis’s book was released in 2006. The film would have paid the Tuohys and their two children $225,000 each, plus 2.5 percent of the film’s net revenue.

The film, which grossed over $300 million and earned Sandra Bullock an Oscar for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy, was a critical and commercial success. However, the petition alleges that a separate contract signed by Oher in 2007 transferred his life rights to 20th Century Fox without any payment. Oher claims he has no recollection of signing that contract and that no one explained its implications to him.

The petition notes that all four members of the Tuohy family had the same representative at Creative Artists Agency, while Oher’s designated agent, Debra Branan, was a close family friend and the same attorney who filed the conservatorship petition. Branan has not commented on the case.

In the past, the Tuohys have denied profiting significantly from the film, saying they received a lump sum split with Oher. However, Oher claims to have never received any money from the film, although he had long suspected that others were benefiting financially. His lawyer, J. Gerard Stranch IV, notes that Oher’s suspicions grew over time, especially as the Tuohys’ explanations remained vague.

Michael Oher in the world of the NFL

Oher’s relationship with the Tuohys began to fray when he realized the film portrayed him as unintelligent, which he said negatively impacted his NFL career by leading some decision-makers to view him as lacking leadership skills. “People look at me and take things away from me because of film,” Oher told ESPN in 2015. “They don’t really see the skill set and the kind of player I am.”

Despite the controversies, the Tuohys always maintained that Oher had the potential to succeed on his own. “If there is a fundamental misunderstanding about Michael, it is that he needed to be saved,” the Tuohys wrote in their book. “We discovered that beneath his timidity, his shuffling of feet and his bowed head, he had a tremendous drive to determine the course of his own life.”

Read also : Michael Oher Net Worth – How Much Is “The Blind Side” Michael Oher Worth in 2024?

Oher’s petition challenges the inspirational narrative created by The Blind Side, arguing that while it attracted positive attention, it also inflicted deep personal pain and misrepresented its true story. “There has been so much created from The Blind Side that I am grateful for, which is why you might find it shocking that the experience surrounding the story was also a big source of some of my hurts and my deepest pains over the past 14 years,” Oher wrote in his recent book “When Your Back’s Against the Wall.”

As Oher seeks justice in court, the case serves as a poignant reminder of the complexities and potential exploitation involved in inspiring, high-profile stories.

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