Michael Oher "Deceived by Adoptive Parents"
"The Tuy Couple Amassed Huge Wealth Through Guardianship Status"
Michael Oher, a former NFL player and the real-life protagonist of the Hollywood film "The Blind Side" (2009), has become the center of controversy after filing a lawsuit against his adoptive parents. Contrary to the movie's story that his adoptive parents raised him to become a football star, Oher's side claims that the couple exploited him for financial gain.
According to foreign media such as The Washington Post (WP) and the BBC on the 15th (local time), Oher recently filed a lawsuit against Sean and Leigh Tuohy, the couple known as his adoptive parents.
Oher stated in the lawsuit that he was never adopted and that, rather, he was bound by a guardianship clause, and the Tuohy couple never gave him any of the profits they earned in his name. In other words, Oher claims that the touching story in the movie is based on falsehoods.
Specifically, Oher alleges that when the Tuohy couple took him in 2004, he signed documents believing they were part of the adoption process, but in fact, the documents made the couple his legal guardians.
The documents granted the Tuohy couple the authority to conduct commercial activities in Oher's name, through which they amassed significant wealth, Oher explained.
In particular, regarding the movie "The Blind Side," which was made based on Oher's story, the production company signed contracts with the Tuohy family to pay them $225,000 (about 300 million KRW) each and 2.5% of the movie's net profits. However, Oher himself claims he did not receive a single penny.
Accordingly, Oher reportedly filed a lawsuit requesting the court to revoke the Tuohy couple's guardianship status and to pay him a portion of the profits from the movie.
In response, the Tuohy couple has remained tight-lipped. However, Sean Tuohy told local media, "I am deeply shocked by Oher's lawsuit" and added, "If Oher wants, I will relinquish the guardianship."
Oher also expressed his feelings in a separate statement, saying, "It pains me to reveal so much by filing this lawsuit today. It is a difficult situation for my family and me." He continued, "I ask everyone to respect my privacy. For now, I will only speak through the lawsuit and will not make any additional comments."
Meanwhile, "The Blind Side" is a film based on the true story of former NFL star Oher, depicting the touching story of his adoptive parents raising him, a homeless youth, into a football superstar.
Oher won the Super Bowl, the NFL championship game, in 2013 and retired in 2017.
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