'Blind Side' Couple Spotted For First time Amid Claim They Lied About Michael Oher's Adoption

Retired NFL star Oher alleged in a Tennessee court filing Monday that Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy tricked him into making them his conservators when he was 18

The Blind Side real-life parents Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy have been spotted publicly for the first time since retired NFL star Michael Oher made the claim that the couple lied about adopting him for financial gain.

The couple was photographed near their Florida mansion on Thursday, according to photographs published by TK. Both were wearing sneakers and sports apparel and appeared to be taking a walk.

On Monday, Oher — whose life story inspired the Oscar-nominated 2009 film The Blind Side — filed a petition in the Shelby County, Tenn., probate court to terminate a conservatorship, alleging that the Tuohys tricked him into signing legal papers that made them his conservators when he was 18. In the filing, he claimed the couple told him at the time that there was no material difference between being adopted and being under a conservatorship.

The 2004 conservatorship filing, reviewed by PEOPLE, indicates that Oher, 37, signed the documents despite being 18 at the time and having “no known physical or psychological disabilities." After that filing, the legal agreement granted the Tuohys, now both 63, "all powers of attorney to act on his behalf," including with respect to entering into business deals and contracts.

Related: Where Is the 'Blind Side' Family Now? What to Know About Michael Oher and the Tuohys

"Michael trusted the Tuohys and signed where they told him to sign,” Oher’s Monday legal petition, obtained by PEOPLE, claimed. According to the petition, it wasn't until February 2023 that Oher — who played in the NFL from 2009 to 2016 — was made aware that he had not signed adoption papers but instead conservatorship documents.

Oher also alleged in his petition that the Tuohys, including their two children by birth, Collins Tuohy and Sean Tuohy Jr., all profited from The Blind Side movie, which focused on the family taking Oher into their home and nurturing him both academically and athletically.

The former athlete claims in his petition that the family secured a deal worth $225,000 plus 2.5% of the film’s net proceeds. The movie, which starred Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw, earned more than $300 million at the box office.

Lawyers for the Tuohys responded to Oher's allegations on Wednesday, insisting they "treated [Oher] like a son" and are willing to release him from the longstanding conservatorship.

"If that's what he wants to do is terminate it, we're glad to do so," attorney Randall Fishman said in a press conference in Memphis. "As a matter of fact, it is our intent to offer to enter into a consent order as it relates to the conservatorship, and then if they have other issues, we'll deal with them."

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When asked why the Tuohys didn't adopt Oher during the initial legal proceedings, Fishman said "it didn't make any difference to the Tuohys."

Fishman and attorney Steve Farese also disputed Oher's claim that each of the four family members was paid for the movie and he was not. "Well, each member of the family has received the same amount of money," Farese said, noting that Oher was included. "So, imagine a pie divided by five, okay? We estimate each person received $100,000 — each person in the family."

Farese said Oher managed all of his own finances without interference from the Tuohys. "He entered his own contracts. He has his own agents," the attorney said.

"They did not share in his money. They did not control any shoe contracts, anything of that nature," Farese added.

Related: Michael Oher, Who Inspired 'Blind Side', Opens Up About Mental Health: 'I'm Still Dealing with Trauma'

As for why the conservatorship was not terminated sooner, Fishman said that "nobody even thought about it." According to Farese, the Tuohys and Oher have been estranged for the last 10 years.

In a statement obtained by PEOPLE on Wednesday, Oher's representative responded to the Tuohy family comments about his legal petition:

"We continue to stand with Michael and the statement he released. We also concur with his attorney, Don Barrett, we believe that justice will be served in a courtroom where cases are based on facts."

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