On Aug. 14, Michael Oher filed a petition alleging Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy never adopted him and made money off the film “The Blind Side” when he didn’t.
The Academy Award-winning film “The Blind Side” chronicled the story of how Oher went from being a homeless teenager to an NFL draft pick after the Tuohy family took him into their home. It’s based on a true story and since then, Oher has played for the Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers.
Since Oher filed his petition, the Tuohy family has responded. Here’s a look at what both parties have said.
What is Michael Oher’s petition?
On Aug. 14, Oher filed a petition in Shelby County, Tennessee, seeking an unspecified amount in damages, a share of the profits the Tuohys have made in relation to “The Blind Side” and, additionally, requests the end of the Tuohys conservatorship, per ESPN.
The petition alleged, “the Tuohys used their power as conservators to strike a deal that paid them and their two birth children millions of dollars in royalties from an Oscar-winning film that earned more than $300 million, while Oher got nothing for a story ‘that would not have existed without him,’” ESPN reported.
“The lie of Michael’s adoption is one upon which co-conservators Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy have enriched themselves at the expense of their ward, the undersigned Michael Oher,” the petition says, according to ESPN.
The petition said, “Michael Oher discovered this lie to his chagrin and embarrassment in February of 2023, when he learned that the conservatorship to which he consented on the basis that doing so would make him a member of the Tuohy family, in fact provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys,” per ESPN.
How have the Tuohys responded to Oher’s petition?
The Tuohy family attorney Martin Singer issued a statement to NPR, which said the family was “heartbroken over these events.”
“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,” Singer said to NPR.
In an interview with the Daily Memphian on Aug. 14, Sean Tuohy said, “We didn’t make any money off the movie. Well, Michael Lewis (the author of the book ‘The Blind Side’) gave us half of his share. Everybody in the family got an equal share including Michael. It was about $14,000 each.”
Oher’s attorney Don Barrett issued a statement about the petition to ESPN. “We try cases in the courtroom based on the facts,” the statement said. “We have confidence in our judicial system and in our client Michael Oher. We believe that justice will be served in the courtroom, and we hope to get there quickly.”