Retired NFL star, Michael Oher, has filed a legal petition to terminate a conservatorship against Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy, known for their portrayal in the Oscar-nominated movie, 'The Blind Side,' inspired by Oher's life story.
In court documents submitted Monday in Shelby County, Tennessee probate court, the 37-year-old athlete claimed that he was tricked by the Tuohys into becoming their ward when he turned 18. He alleges they told him there was no significant difference between being adopted and entering into a conservatorship.
“Michael trusted the Tuohys and signed where they told him to sign,” states the legal filing obtained by PEOPLE. “What he signed, however, and unknown to Michael until after February 2023, were not adoption papers, or the equivalent of adoption papers.”
The document further suggests that instead of adoption papers as believed by Oher then, it was actually paperwork granting full control over his affairs to the Tuohys.
The inspiration behind the Oscar-nominated 'The Blind Side,' alleged that the Tuohy family lied about adopting him while profiting from his name
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Oher, known for his college football days at the University of Mississippi and later being drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 2009, claims that all four Tuohy family members received a payment of $225,000 for their involvement in the movie, along with an additional 2.5% share of the film's earnings which exceeded $330 million globally.
Following the 2009 film's release, Oher's connection with the Tuohy family started deteriorating. This was troubling for him as the movie portrayed him as lacking intelligence.
The retired NFL star claims he was tricked into signing conservatorship papers at age 18, believing they were adoption documents
Image credits: Michael Oher
Michael claims that all four members of the Tuohy family made money off the film based on his life, while he received no compensation
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Subsequently, he discovered that he was the sole family member not being compensated with royalty payments from the film, Oher's lawyer, J. Gerard Stranch IV, told ESPN.
Oher enlisted Stranch's services to initiate an investigation into the matter. This endeavor led the attorney to discover conservatorship documents earlier this year. These documents indicated that Oher might not have been formally adopted by the Tuohy family.
"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 explained to ESPN. "Discovering that he wasn't actually adopted devastated Mike and wounded him deeply."
This is what people had to say about Michael's situation
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