Retired NFL star Michael Oher is suing the family that inspired the film “The Blind Side.”
According to ESPN, Oher was never adopted by the Tuohy family but was allegedly tricked into entering a conservatorship.
The lawsuit states, “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 [Oher].”
“Michael Oher discovered this lie 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,” it went on.
Oher has not posted about the situation on social media but did offer a statement. He said, “This is a difficult situation for my family and me. I want to ask everyone to please respect our privacy at this time. For now, I will let the lawsuit speak for itself and will offer no further comment.”
Sean Tuohy spoke out against the backlash with the New York Post, noting this lawsuit has “devastated” his family.
He said, “We contacted lawyers who had told us that we couldn’t adopt over the age of 18; the only thing we could do was to have a conservatorship. We were so concerned it was on the up-and-up that we made sure the biological mother came to court.”
According to Legal Hearsay, adult adoption is currently legal in the United States. It is often used for inheritance rights, strengthening bonds with stepparents, or other circumstances.
Tuohy also noted, “We didn’t make any money off the movie.”
“Well, Michael Lewis, the [author of the book on which the movie was based] gave us half of his share. Everybody in the family got an equal share, including Michael. It was about $14,000, each.
Tuohy made $200 million off of owning and selling his own fast-food franchises and pointed out, “I will say it’s upsetting that people would think I would want to make money off any of my children.”
He called the allegations “insulting.”
Sean Tuohy Jr., the family’s biological son said, “I love Mike at 16, I love Mike at 37, and I [will] love him at 67.”
He also noted, “If he says he found out in February, I find that hard to believe.”
“I went through my family group texts today to see what had been said. There were things in like 2020 or 2021 that said, ‘If you guys give me this much, then I won’t go public with things,’” he added.
“You’re not gonna hear me talk bad about him because I truthfully think very highly of everything [about his NFL career and how he has raised a family],” he concluded.
