7-year-old Oher filed a petition on Monday alleging that the Tuohy family deceitfully became his conservators without legally adopting him, and subsequently profited from his fabricated life story portrayed in the movie The Blind Side.
In a statement conveyed to PEOPLE by a representative for the former NFL player, Oher expressed his dismay about the disclosed information in the lawsuit. He went on to mention that this is a challenging circumstance for him and his family, and respectfully requested privacy. Oher stated that for the time being, he will allow the lawsuit to speak on its own behalf and will refrain from providing any additional comments.
Oher claims in the petition, submitted to Shelby County Probate Court on August 14 and obtained by PEOPLE, that he unintentionally granted authority to the couple to serve as his conservators back in 2004, when he was 18 years old.
According to the legal filing, Michael placed his trust in the Tuohys and followed their instructions by signing the documents. Nevertheless, it was not until after February 2023 that Michael discovered these papers were not adoption documents, nor were they equivalent to adoption papers.
After the petition was filed, Sean Tuohy Jr., the son of the family featured in the 2009 film, spoke with Barstool Sports on Monday.
In the interview, when asked about Oher's upset, Tuohy Jr. expressed understanding. However, he firmly denied Oher's claim that he and his family had made " $2 million" from the film.
Tuohy Jr. humorously mentioned that if he had $2 million in his bank account, it would be proudly displayed in his email signature as "SJ Tuohy, multi-millionaire." He also shared that friends were sending him links to articles and engaging in friendly banter about it in a group chat.
According to Oher's recent legal petition, the Tuohy family, consisting of all four members, supposedly received a payment of $225,000 for their involvement in the sports drama film, in addition to 2.5% of its residual checks, which Oher claims he did not receive.
Sean Tuohy, the family's patriarch, also informed the Daily Memphian on Monday that the conservatorship prompting the petition was unrelated to the movie. Rather, he explains that it was a means to comply with the NCAA's regulations when it seemed that Oher would be playing football at the University of Mississippi. Sean discussed the situation with Michael, stating that if he planned to attend Ole Miss, he needed to be a part of the family.
Since adoption was not possible for someone over the age of 18, they sought legal advice and decided on a conservatorship. They even ensured that the biological mother attended the court proceedings to maintain transparency.
According to Oher's petition, the conservatorship papers he eventually signed granted the Tuohys full authority to control his contract signings. In his filing, he accuses the Tuohy family of deceitfully presenting themselves as his adoptive parents, leading to the narrative portrayed in the book and film.
According to ESPN, Oher's attorney J. Gerard Stranch IV revealed that he was the only family member not receiving royalty checks from the film. Oher hired Stranch to investigate this, and during the process, the attorney discovered the conservatorship papers in February. Stranch noted that Oher had a tumultuous upbringing and that when the Tuohy family expressed their love and desire to adopt him, it fulfilled a long-standing emptiness in his life. However, learning that he was not actually adopted had a profound and painful impact on Oher.