Retired NFL player Michael Oher was not adopted by a wealthy white family, as depicted in the 2009 movie “The Blind Side,” according to a Tennessee court filing obtained by ESPN Monday. Instead, they allegedly manipulated him into getting richer at his expense.
The petition, reportedly filed in Shelby County, Tennessee, accuses Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy of taking Oher in as a high school student under a conservatory that they tricked him into, giving them the legal authority to conduct business acts on his behalf.
The Tuohys are also accused of using that power to negotiate a deal that netted them, including their two biological children, millions of dollars in royalties from the Oscar-winning film.
The movie made more than $300 million — and none of those funds went to Oher, according to the report.
Oher, 37, is reportedly asking the court to terminate the Tuohy family’s conservatory, prevent them from using his name and likeness, and provide a full account of the Tuohy’s merits through the use of the name from Oher. In addition to unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, he is also reportedly seeking a “reasonable” share of the profits.
This story will be updated.
