Yahoo News ‘Blind Side’ Subject Accused of $15M “Shakedown” Amid Legal Fight Over Movie Profits
The family at the center of The Blind Side, which chronicles Michael Oher’s life story out of poverty, has accused the retired NFL player of fabricating accusations that they lied about adopting him and cut him out of a deal for the rights to the book the film is based off of. A lawyer for the family says Oher tried to extort them out of $15 million and made the allegations “as a cynical attempt to drum up attention in the middle of his latest book tour.”
In a statement, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy also confirm Oher’s claim that they negotiated a deal with 20th Century Studios giving them and their two children a lump sum and profit participation from the movie but say that they willingly split the proceeds with Oher.
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“When Michael Lewis, a friend of Sean’s since childhood, was approached about turning his book on Mr. Oher and the Tuohys into a movie about their family, his agents negotiated a deal where they received a small advance from the production company and a tiny percentage of net profits,” says Marty Singer, a lawyer for the family, in a statement issued on Tuesday. “They insisted that any money received be divided equally. And they have made good on that pledge.”
The Tuohys say that they’ve given Oher an “an equal cut of every penny” received from The Blind Side. As part of his alleged extortion effort, he refused to accept his share of the money from the movie deal, the family claims. They say they still deposited the money into a trust account.
As his conservators, the Tuohys allegedly struck a lucrative deal with 20th Century Studios giving them and their two children $225,000 and 2.5 percent of all future net proceeds from the movie while Oher “received nothing for his rights to a $330 million story that would not have existed without him,” wrote Anne Johnson, a lawyer for Oher, in the petition. The agreement was already in place when Alcon Entertainment, which fully financed the movie, picked up the rights, according to a person familiar with the contract.
The statement also responds to accusations that the Tuohys tricked Oher into signing documents that appointed them as his conservators. They claim they’ve “always been upfront about how a conservatorship was established to assist with Mr. Oher’s needs, ranging from getting him health insurance and obtaining a driver’s license to helping with college admissions.”
“Should Mr. Oher wish to terminate the conservatorship, either now or at anytime in the future, the Tuohys will never oppose it in any way,” Singer says.
Under the conservatorship, Oher lost the ability to handle his own financial and legal affairs, which he would’ve kept had he been adopted. His petition, filed in on Monday in Tennessee probate court, alleges he’s been deprived of the rights to his name, image and likeness. He points to an alleged deal negotiated by the family signing away to 20th the perpetual and exclusive right to his brand and personal experiences without compensation. The signature on the document may have been forged, according to the petition, which notes that the Tuohys didn’t make any of the required disclosures in the conservatorship.
The family denies making any money as Oher’s conservators.
“The Tuohys opened their home to Mr. Oher, offered him structure, support and, most of all, unconditional love,” the statement reads. “They have consistently treated him like a son and one of their three children. His response was to threaten them, including saying that he would plant a negative story about them in the press unless they paid him $15 million.”
In a statement, Oher told People that he was “disheartened” by learning he wasn’t adopted like he was allegedly told. “This is a difficult situation for my family and me,” he continued. “I want to ask everyone to please respect our privacy at this time. For now, I will let the lawsuit speak for itself and will offer no further comment.”
A Tennessee judge granted in 2004 the Tuohy’s petition for the them to be appointed as Oher’s conservators after he found that the athlete was in “need of supervision, protection, and assistance” and that he “should not be able to make contract decisions on his own.” They were named in that capacity until the court terminates the conservatorship.
Sean Tuohy in 2019 sold 105 restaurants and 55 properties for $213 million.
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