‘The Blind Side’ Bombshell: Michael Oher Alleges Tuohy Family Tricked Him Into Conservatorship, Denied Him Film Payments

[rik]

The story of Michael Oher, the retired NFL star who was supposedly adopted by a wealthy white family who lifted him out of poverty, was immortalized in the 2009 blockbuster film “The Blind Side.” But now, Oher, 37, alleges that much of that heartwarming tale is a lie crafted by the family in order to profit off of his name, ESPN reports.

In a 14-page petition filed Monday in Shelby County, Tenn., Oher alleges that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy never actually adopted him, instead tricking him into ceding his authority to make business deals by making the couple his conservators at age 18.

Per ESPN, Oher claims that the Tuohys arranged the deal that paid them and their two birth children millions of dollars in royalties from the Oscar-winning movie, which raked in more than $300 million at the box office; Oher received no payment. The ex-NFL player alleges that the conservatorship “provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys,” despite the family continuing to call him their “adopted son” and use the relationship to promote their foundation and Leigh Anne’s work as an author and motivational speaker.

With the petition, Oher is asking the court to terminate the conservatorship and issue an injunction prohibiting the Tuohys from using his name and likeness. He also demands a full accounting of the money earned by the family using Oher’s name and that the Tuohys pay him his “fair share of profits,” plus “unspecified compensatory and punitive damages,” per ESPN.

Oher was raised a child with 11 siblings and his mother struggled with **** addiction. At 10 years old, he was placed into the foster care system and he spent the majority of his adolescence moving from home to home, at times living on the streets. As a teenage sports prodigy, Oher was introduced to the principal of a private Christian school in an affluent Memphis neighborhood, where he began playing football. He quickly became one of America’s top offensive lineman prospects and received various college scholarship offers. In high school, Oher frequently stayed over at the homes of his classmates, including the Tuohys, until Leigh Anne and Sean invited him to move in with them, encouraging him to call them “mom” and “dad.”
 

Oher, who went on to become a first-round NFL draft pick and Super Bowl winner with the Baltimore Ravens, wrote in his 2011 memoir “I Beat the Odds” that the Tuohys told him the conservatorship meant “pretty much the exact same thing as ‘adoptive parents.'”

According to the filing, the four Tuohys each made $225,000 plus 2.5% of “defined net proceeds” from “The Blind Side,” while Oher made nothing. According to ESPN, he allegedly signed a separate contract in 2007 that gave away his life rights to 20th Century Fox “without any payment whatsoever,” but Oher says he does not remember signing that contract and, if he did, no one warned him of its implications. (Warner Bros., which distributed “The Blind Side,” was not involved in dealmaking for the film, nor responsible for payment of participants.)

Based on the report, the Tuohy family struck the deal for the film with an agent at CAA, while Oher’s agent is listed as Debra Branan, “a close family friend of the Tuohys and the same lawyer who filed the 2004 conservatorship petition.”

In their 2010 book “In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving,” the Tuohys claimed they made a flat fee from “The Blind Side.”

For years, Oher has publicly voiced disagreements with how the film, starring Sandra Bullock and Quinton Aaron, portrayed him. Per ESPN, he has said that “some NFL decision-makers assumed he was mentally slow, or lacked leadership skills” because the film made him out to be “unintelligent.”

Oher published his third book, “When Your Back’s Against the Wall: Fame, Football, and Lessons Learned through a Lifetime of Adversity,” last week. According to ESPN, he writes in the memoir, “There has been so much created from ‘The Blind Side’ that I am grateful for, which is why you might find it as a shock that the experience surrounding the story has also been a large source of some of my deepest hurt and pain over the past 14 years.”

Representatives for Oher’s representative and attorney, J. Gerard Stranch IV, were not immediately available for comment, as well as reps for writer-director John Lee Hancock and stars Bullock and Aaron. Variety has also reached out to the probate court, 20th Century Fox and Alcon Entertainment for comment.

‘The Blind Side’ Bombshell: Michael Oher Alleges Tuohy Family Tricked Him Into Conservatorship, Denied Him Film Payments

VARIETY.COM

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Former NFL star and 'Blind Side' subject Michael Oher alleges that the Tuohys never actually adopted him, instead tricking...

 

[Gutterguppy]

how awful, can't believe he was held a prisoner by his own family like this. my heart breaks for him and I hope he now has a better support system 

Edited August 14, 2023 by Zoey102

[Jordan Miller]

Damn that's horrible. Another scam. 

[DiamondCircus]

Sad and horrible.

Also, not Britney related, wrong section. 

 

[canwesynchronize]

1 minute ago, DiamondCircus said:

Sad and horrible.

Also, not Britney related, wrong section. 

 

Kinda related as he is also in a conservatorship  

[DiamondCircus]

5 minutes ago, canwesynchronize said:

Kinda related as he is also in a conservatorship  

So are the Jason Alexander threads as he was Britney's ex husband, but all of those have been getting moved out of the Britney section.

[ZoneGirl]

I believe it. White savior bs at its “finest.” They hugely took advantage of him. And the husband’s response 

Sean Tuohy calls Michael Oher’s allegations insulting: ‘We’re devastated’

WWW.AL.COM

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The former offensive lineman filed a 14-page petition, which states he wasn’t adopted.

 

[canwesynchronize]

Just now, DiamondCircus said:

So are the Jason Alexander threads as he was Britney's ex husband, but all of those have been getting moved out of the Britney section.

As they should, she has a restraining order against him and its only correct he gets moved even in an online environment 

[DiamondCircus]

Just now, canwesynchronize said:

As they should, she has a restraining order against him and its only correct he gets moved even in an online environment 

With that logic team con and Jamie should be moved out of this section as well, since Britney's sons have a restraining order against Jimbo.

Hopefully this guy and Britney and others will get the justice they deserve, it sucks seeing him now getting conned and Wendy as well.

Edited August 14, 2023 by DiamondCircus

[canwesynchronize]

Just now, DiamondCircus said:

With that logic team con and Jamie should be moved out of this section as well, since Britney's sons have a restraining order against Jimbo.

You're reaching now 

[itsxrichiexbish]

i hope karma hits them hard

[pablitonizer]

Omg 

I saw the movie back in the day and there was no mention of a conservatorship in place. I have to admit there was something truly off about that story. I could not understand what felt so unsetteling about it but I now it makes sense 

[Hamelia]

I am in shock! How can you put a fully functioning and working man in a conservatorship? In Tennessee it is called guardianship, no surprise they tricked him by using the words guardianship and adoption as the same.

How often do I have to read about such cases of intrinsic and extrinsic fraud with the help of a guardianship? I know there are also many non-famous people in guardianships, but I hope another well-known person can shine another spotlight on Tennessee.

I wonder whether Britney's case drew his attention.

 

Edited August 14, 2023 by Hamelia

[BritneyWiki]

The ABC news article about this directly linked Britney to him. Her story caused his conservatorship to be examined.

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Sports/wireStory/michael-oher-former-nfl-tackle-blind-side-sues-102262569

"Spears’ high-profile battle put a spotlight on efforts that advocates across the United States have launched raising questions that such strict controls result in more harm than protection."

[queenofhearts]

DAYUM...SO SAD.  Debra sounds like Lou in this story.

 

i bet his adoptive parents will come out and say something about how debra mislead them  which may be true but they aren't stupid. How did they not know? a cship basically takes away your rights.

 

IM  also curious if he was under a cship all these years how has or hasn't he been able to live his life fully?

[GirlOnTheMoon]

This is so sad. It seems more victims are finding courage in Britney’s strength and they’re voicing their own abuse. There’s a similar story of an actress from Brazil, her name is Larissa Manoela, apparently she’s super known in Brazil and she’s been modeling and acting since she was a toddler, and turns out her parents have been financially abusing her since a young age and now they don’t want to give her her millions. 

[doomphantom1]

Wow.  How many people are in conservatorships?  WTF is going on in this country?

[Hamelia]

1 hour ago, queenofhearts said:

 

 

IM  also curious if he was under a cship all these years how has or hasn't he been able to live his life fully?

We don't know yet, but it looks it is a financial guardianship not a guardianship on his person. Guardians can exploit a person's finances without getting involved in his private life. (Tennessee calls it guardianship.)

Britney had a financial and personal conservatorship. (California calls it conservatorship.) It was financial exploitation in addition to personal/medical abuse. For the abuse of her person, they had to constantly lie about her mental health. 

doomphantom1,

There are no statistics on the number of guardianships/conservatorships. Estimates are thousands. One group are severely handicapped young adults like Colin Farrell's son. Another group are the elderly with dementia. But there are also people who have mild impairments and others who have severe traffic accidents, recover and find themselves in conservatorships.

What was meant to be a protective measure has evolved in an abusive industry with lawyers, judges, even doctors and owners of assisted living facilities. When Britney's case broke, I found many such cases but did not keep a record. I should have.

Edited August 15, 2023 by Hamelia

[Hamelia]

International Guardianship Network - support, information and networking opportunities for guardians and adults with disabilities

WWW.INTERNATIONAL-GUARDIANSHIP.COM

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International Guardianship Network - IGN - is to provide support, information and networking opportunities for guardians and adults with disabilities worldwide.

This is a comparison of conservatorship laws in various countries. Unfortunately, the comparisons are in different formats. 

[jordeezy river red]

SPORTS and conservatorship. I wonder if Looky Lou is involved. .