What To Know About ‘The Blind Side’ Controversy

It appears there is no love lost between the ‘family’ members depicted in the 2009 film ‘The Blind Side.’ The movie tells the story of Michael Oher, a teenage boy from a broken home and troubled background, who was adopted into a family of four, and went on to play in the NFL for eight seasons. The movie earned a Best Picture nomination at that year’s Academy Awards, and Sandra Bullock took home the Best Actress Award for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy, Oher’s adoptive mother.

This week, Michael Oher filed a bombshell lawsuit alleging that he never received royalty payments for the movie, and he was never legally adopted by the family but, instead tricked into signing a conservatorship agreement. The lawsuit seeks to end the conservatorship, which has been in place since Oher was 18 (he’s now 37).

Oher made some explosive claims in his lawsuit, including:

• Oher thought he was being adopted by the family, but was instead tricked into signing the conservatorship, relinquishing his ability to enter into contracts. He said he only found out about the conservatorship in February of this year.
• Oher claimed he unknowingly signed away the rights to his life story to 20th Century Fox for ‘The Blind Side’ in 2007.
• Oher said he received nothing from the film, while the Tuohys negotiated a contract of $225,000 plus 2.5% of future “defined net proceeds” for themselves and their biological children.

The Tuohys have responded to Oher’s lawsuit. In a lengthy statement, the family attorney said Oher actually tried to shake down the family for $15 million before filing the lawsuit. The statement alleges Oher threatened the Tuohys, saying if they didn’t pony up an eight-figure check, he’d “plant a negative story about them in the press.” The statement said the family could not adopt Oher since he was 18 at the time, so they established the conservatorship “to assist with Mr. Oher’s needs, ranging from getting him health insurance and obtaining a driver’s license to helping with college admissions.”

The Tuohys also said the claim they withheld movie profits from Oher is false. The Tuohys had “received a small advance from the production company and a tiny percentage of net profits” from “The Blind Side.” The attorney claims that money was always shared with Oher or deposited into a trust for his son.

There’s also backlash from movie fans, too! Some fans are demanding that Sandra Bullock give back her Oscar… writing “So Sandra Bullock should have to give back her Oscar right, and man do we need to start checking these good feeling stories.”