CNN
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Former NFL player Michael OherHis life story was depicted in the Oscar-winning movie “The Blind Side,” and he filed a petition in a Tennessee court to end Sean and Lee Anne Tuohy’s conservatorship over him.
Oher claims the Tuohys said they were going to adopt him, but filed instead. A security It kept millions of dollars from him.
Steve Fares, an attorney for Sean and Lee Ann Tuohy, said they had no comment but would issue a statement Tuesday.
Sean Tuohy told the Daily Membion That his family was degenerate.
“It’s sad to think that any of our children will make money. But we’re going to love Michael at 37 the same way we loved Michael at 16,” Sean Tuohy said, according to a Daily Memphis story published Monday.
Oher’s petition to the court seeks an order to “show cause that the Tuohys have failed to render regular accounts or perform duties necessary to act in the interest of their ward, Michael J. Oher.”
Oher became a ward of the state of Tennessee in 1996 before turning 11 and soon began living on the streets.
A friend’s father helped enroll him in a school where he started playing football. The petition states: I had to board buses and walk for over an hour to go to school.
In the summers after his teenage years, Oher began to occasionally stay with Sean and Lee Ann Tuohy.
“While the other parents of Michael’s classmates saw Michael as a good kid, conservators Sean Tuohy and Lee Ann Tuohy saw something else: a manipulative young man who could use sportsmanship for their own benefit,” the petition said.
The Tuohys, who “took no legal action in juvenile court to take legal custody of Michael,” often invited Oher to stay at their home and took him on shopping trips.
After Oher turned 18 and was still a student, in July 2004, Tuohys Michael offered to live with them, according to the petition. “The Tuohys said they loved Michael and wanted to legally adopt him. Michael trusted them, was happy to be part of a real family, trusted Mr. and Mrs. Tuohy completely, and called them ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ at their request,” the petition states.
As soon as she settled on the petition, the Tuohys gave her the necessary legal papers for the adoption.
“Michael trusted the Tuohys and signed where they told him to sign. However, what he signed and Michael did not know after February 2023 were not adoption papers or the equivalent of adoption papers,” the petition states. Instead, the papers named Sean and Lee Anne Tuohy as his guardians. Conservatorship documents In filings by an attorney so close to the Tuohys, Oher was told to call her “aunt.”
“Despite the fact that Michael Oher is over 18 years of age and has no known physical or psychological impairment, Michael Oher shall have full control over negotiating or entering into any contract,” the documents demanded.
The petition claims that at no point did Duohise tell her that he would have “final control over all of her agreements” and that Oher was over 18 and was “incorrectly advised by Duohise” that the “adoption” should be called a conservatorship. , but “for all intents and purposes, an adoption.”
The petition states, “The Tuohys have falsely and publicly represented themselves as Michael’s adoptive parents, continuing as of the date of the filing of this petition.”
In September 2006, the Tuohys secured contracts for themselves and their two other children through Creative Artists Agency to film “The Blind Side,” based on the book based on Oher’s life story, for “$225,000 each plus 2.5% of future earnings. The film grossed more than $330 million, according to Oher’s “net earnings” petition.
Oher’s agent for the contract was listed as the attorney who filed his conservatorship.
There is another contract from April 2007 that “reportedly was signed by Michael Oher” in which Oher provides his name, likeness, voice, etc. to the film studio “at no charge”.
Oher thinks the signature on the contract is his, but he doesn’t know if it’s a forgery because he “at any time willingly or knowingly” signed a document explaining that he was giving up rights to his name? Image, etc
The petition states, “Since at least August 2004, the Conservators have allowed Michael, specifically the public and generally, to believe that the Conservators have adopted Michael. Exercise control. All monies received in this way must be severed in all conscience and equity and paid to the Michael Oher Ward.”
The petition asks Tuohys to provide a sworn accounting of the money owed to Oher.
There was a story First reported by ESPN.
CNN has reached out to Michael Oher and his attorney, but has yet to hear back.
In a statement issued to WhatN TV, Oher said, “I am heartened by the revelations shared in the case today. This is a difficult situation for me and my family. We ask everyone to respect our privacy at this time. For now, I’ll let the case speak and make no further comment.
Portions of Oher’s life story were captured in Michael Lewis’ 2006 book “The Blind Side: Evolution of the Game” and the 2009 film adaptation of the same name.
Shawn Tuohy told the Daily MEMBER, “We didn’t make any money on the movie.”
“Well, Michael Lewis gave us half a share. Everyone in the family, including Michael, got an equal share. It’s about $14,000 each,” Tuohy said. According to the Daily Memphis.
CNN reached out to Lewis’ representatives for comment, but did not hear back.
“It’s tough because you have to defend yourself, but let’s do whatever he wants,” Shawn Tuohy said, according to the Daily Memphis. “We weren’t in it for anything other than what he wanted. If he had said, ‘I don’t want to be part of the family anymore,’ we would have been very upset, but we would have done it.”
“There’s no question, the allegations are outrageous, but, look, it’s a crazy world. You have to live in it. It’s obviously upsetting for everybody.
As reported in the book, Oher was born into poverty in Memphis, and his mother struggled with addiction, bouncing around homes and schools for much of his childhood. He possessed a rare combination of size and athleticism and became a star offensive lineman on the private school’s football team, Briarcrest, eventually earning a scholarship to attend Duois’ alma mater, the University of Mississippi.
Oher started 47 consecutive games at Ole Miss and was named a consensus All-American in 2008.
The Baltimore Ravens selected Oher with the 23rd pick in the 1st round of the 2009 NFL Draft and the 6-foot-5, 309-pound lineman made an immediate impact as he was named the runner-up for AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. Voting.
He played left and right tackle for Baltimore for five seasons, helping them to a Super Bowl win in 2013. During his NFL career, he started 110 games over eight seasons with Baltimore, Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers.
Oher earned more than $34 million during his NFL career, according to Spotrac, a website that tracks sports contracts.
Sandra Bullock won Best Actress for her portrayal of Lee Ann Tuohy at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards in 2010.
