Michael Oher. Shutterstock
Michael Oher broke his silence on the lawsuit he filed towards Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy that claims he was by no means formally adopted by the household.
“I’m disheartened by the revelation shared within the lawsuit immediately,” Oher, 37, mentioned in a press release to the New York Submit on Monday, August 14. “It is a troublesome state of affairs for my household and me. I wish to ask everybody to please respect our privateness presently. For now, I’ll let the lawsuit converse for itself and can provide no additional remark.”
Earlier on Monday, Us Weekly confirmed that Oher filed a go well with towards Sean and Leigh Anne, each 63. Within the submitting, Oher claimed that the Tuohys satisfied him to signal a doc making them his conservators underneath the ruse they have been adopting him. The conservatorship gave the household authorized authority to make enterprise offers in Oher’s identify — one thing Oher didn’t be taught till earlier this 12 months.
“The lie of Michael’s adoption is one upon which Co-Conservators Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy have enriched themselves on the expense of their Ward, the undersigned Michael Oher,” the submitting reads. “Michael Oher found this deceive his chagrin and embarrassment in February of 2023, when he realized that the Conservatorship to which he consented on the premise that doing so would make him a member of the Tuohy household, actually supplied him no familial relationship with the Tuohys.”
Oher is now searching for to terminate the conservatorship and asking the courtroom to ban the Tuohys from utilizing his identify and likeness.
Oher’s story was the topic of the 2009 movie The Blind Facet, which stars Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne, Tim McGraw as Sean and Quinton Aaron as Oher. The movie advised the supposed story of how Oher went from an impoverished youth and labored his means towards an expert soccer profession due to the help and assist from the Tuohy household. (Oher performed at Ole Miss for 4 seasons earlier than he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 2009.)
The Oscar-nominated movie made greater than $300 million on the field workplace and scored Bullock, 59, an Academy Award for her portrayal of the Tuohy matriarch. Oher’s lawsuit additionally claims that Leigh Anne, Sean and their two delivery kids every obtained $225,000 — plus 2.5 % of the movie’s “outlined internet proceeds” for the film — however Oher by no means noticed a dime.
“Since at the least August of 2004, Conservators have allowed Michael, particularly, and the general public, typically, to imagine that Conservators adopted Michael and have used that untruth to realize monetary benefits for themselves and the foundations which they personal or which they train management,” the docs state. “All monies made in mentioned method ought to in all conscience and fairness be disgorged and paid over to the mentioned ward, Michael Oher.”
Along with ending the conservatorship, Oher is searching for that the Tuohys pay him his “fair proportion of income,” plus “unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.”
