Michael Oher, a former All-American at Ole Miss and first-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, has filed a petition in a Tennessee court alleging he was never adopted by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy as was depicted in the book "The Blind Side" and the 2009 film of the same name.
Oher filed the 14-page petition in a Shelby County probate court alleging the Tuohys tricked him into believing they had adopted him. In reality, he claims, the Tuohys had him sign a document in 2004 — three months after he turned 18 — that made them his conservators. Per his 2011 memoir, "I Beat the Odds":
"Since I was already over the age of 18 and considered an adult by the state of Tennessee, Sean and Leigh Anne would be named as my 'legal conservators,'" Oher wrote. "They explained to me that it means pretty much the exact same thing as 'adoptive parents,' but that the laws were just written in a way that took my age into account."
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Granting conservatorship is an important distinction from being adopted, as the latter would have allowed Oher to retain the right to make money off his name, image and likeness — such as in "The Blind Side," which saw Sandra Bullock earn an Oscar for her depiction of Leigh Anne Tuohy.
In his petition, Oher claims he never received royalties for the film, which had a reported box office revenue of $309.2 million. He claims the Tuohys struck a deal that paid them and their two birth children millions of dollars for a movie "that would not have existed without him."
Here's everything you need to know about Oher's petition, his relationship with the Tuohys and alleged factual inaccuracies of "The Blind Side."
Michael Oher family dispute, explained
Per a report from ESPN, Oher asked in his petition for the court not only to end the Tuohys' conservatorship, but also to bar them from using his name and likeness moving forward. It also seeks a full accounting of the money they made using his name and asks the court to have them pay them the money he is owed (as well as compensatory and punitive damages).
Here is the petition, in part, per ESPN:
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. 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.
Since at least August of 2004, conservators have allowed Michael, specifically, and the public, generally, to believe that conservators adopted Michael and have used that untruth to gain financial advantages for themselves and the foundations which they own or which they exercise control. All monies made in said manner should in all conscience and equity be disgorged and paid over to the said ward, Michael Oher.
J. Gerard Stranch IV, Oher's attorney, told ESPN his client first hired an investigator in 2016 to look into the deal. He claimed that, since the movie first premiered in 2009 at the start of his NFL career, he did not have time to give it as much thought as he should have.
Stranch claimed the conservator document was uncovered in February, the first time Oher was made aware of its existence. He also claimed the Tuohys took advantage of the emotional attachment he had with them, categorizing them as having betrayed their allegedly adopted son:
"Mike didn't grow up with a stable family life. When the Tuohy family told Mike they loved him and wanted to adopt him, it filled a void that had been with him his entire life," Stranch told ESPN. "Discovering that he wasn't actually adopted devastated Mike and wounded him deeply."
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'The Blind Side' movie deal, explained
The petition alleges the Tuohys first began negotiating a deal for a movie that would eventually become "The Blind Side" in 2006, shortly after the release of Michael Lewis' book, "Blind Side: Evolution of the Game," which detailed Oher and the Tuohys' relationship.
Oher alleges in the petition that the Tuohys each received a flat $225,000 fee as part of the deal, and that the family received 2.5 percent of the film's net revenue. 'The Blind Side' reportedly made $309.2 million from the box office against a $29 million budget. Per Oher's allegations, that means the Tuohys would have made roughly $7.05 million from the box office alone.
The petition also alleges Oher in 2008 signed a contract that "gave away" the rights to his life story to 20th Century Fox. It purports that Oher has no recollection of signing the contract but that, if he had, no one bothered to explain what he was signing.
Moreover, the petition alleges the Tuohys each had the same representative in the deal: Creative Artists Agency. However, it claims Debra Branan — a close friend to the Tuohys who also signed their 2004 conservatorship — was Oher's representative. That means she would have received any and all notifications of movie contract and payment notices.
The 2009 film "The Blind Side" chronicles a dramatized version of Oher's story, including how he was adopted by the Tuohys. The movie details how the family — who is white — adopted a virtually homeless Oher before teaching him how to play football while helping him overcome learning deficits.
Though not part of the petition, Oher has publicly bemoaned his depiction in the movie, which he said portrayed him as mentally slow. He also said NFL personnel used that movie to base opinions about his mental perception that were inaccurate.
"People look at me, and they take things away from me because of a movie," Oher told ESPN in 2015. "They don't really see the skills and the kind of player I am."
Oher also alleges in the petition that the Tuohys only became more interested in him after he began receiving national attention as a junior offensive lineman at Briarchrest Christian, a private school in Memphis, Tenn. (That is another departure from the movie, which depicts the Tuohys as teaching him how to play).
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Michael Oher's relationship with the Tuohy family
The Tuohys have publicly called Oher their son since his alleged adoption in 2004, even having him move into their Memphis, Tenn., home and taking him shopping. They have also used their relationship with him to help promote Leigh Anne Tuohy's career as an author and motivational speaker.
Oher eventually attended Ole Miss — the Tuohys' alma mater — from 2005 through 2008. He was a two-time All-SEC blocker for the Rebels and a 2008 unanimous All-America selection. He turned his success on the gridiron into an opportunity in the NFL: The Ravens selected him 23rd overall in the NFL Draft on April 25, 2009.
"The Blind Side" hit theaters released roughly seven months later, on Nov. 20, 2009. Stranch told ESPN Oher and the Tuohys' relationship began to decline after he saw how it depicted him.
"Their relationship continued to deteriorate as he learned that he was the only member of the family not receiving royalty checks from the movie," Stranch said, "and it was permanently fractured when he realized he wasn't adopted and a part of the family."
Tuohy family response to allegations
Sean Tuohy told Geoff Calkins of The Daily Memphian he was stunned to hear of the allegations in Oher's petition.
"We were never offered money; we never asked for money," Tuohy said, adding that the family didn't make money from the movie.
"It’s upsetting to think we would make money off any of our children," he added. "But we’re going to love Michael at 37 just like we loved him at 16."
Meanwhile, the Tuohy family attorney, Martin Singer, said in a statement that Oher's allegations were part of a "shakedown effort" to get more of the profits from "The Blind Side." The family insists that Oher received "an equal cut of every penny" made as a result of the movie.
"In reality, the Tuohys opened their home to Mr. Oher, offered him structure, support and, most of all, unconditional love," Singer's statement said, per ESPN. "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."
The attorney added in the statement that 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."
And on Wednesday, Aug. 16, the Tuohy family announced that they would be seeking to end their conservatorship. Their attorney, Randall Fishman, also stated that Oher knew that he was under a conservatorship and mentioned it several times in his 2011 book, "I Beat The Odds: From Homeless, To The Blind Side."
As Fishman explained to the Associated Press, the conservatorship was designed to satisfy the NCAA's concerns that the Tuohys weren't trying to influence Oher's decision to attend their alma mater, Mississippi.
Oher contends that he was "falsely advised" that the conservatorship would be the title of the arrangement but the family intended to adopt him.
Michael Oher career earnings, net worth
Oher played eight seasons in the NFL, most of them with the Ravens. He also spent one year with Tennessee and two in Carolina, last playing for the Panthers in 2016.
According to Over The Cap, he earned $34.5 million during his NFL career.
Oher's net worth is estimated at $16 million according to Celebrity Net Worth.