The author of “The Blind Side” does not appear to believe Michael Oher’s lawsuit against the Tuohy family has merit.
Oher sued the family earlier this week, alleging that they swindled him out of millions in proceeds from the 2009 blockbuster film.
Michael Lewis, the author of the book, and a longtime friend of Tuohy family patriarch Sean Tuohy dating back to their time in high school at Isidore Newman in New Orleans, explained the economics of the movie to the Washington Post.
“Everybody should be mad at the Hollywood studio system,” Lewis said. “Michael Oher should join the writers’ strike. It’s outrageous how Hollywood accounting works, but the money is not in the Tuohys’ pockets.”
Lewis explained that he was taken aback that he and the Tuohy family each received about $350,000 in proceeds from the film, which made hundreds of millions of dollars.
The author said that his understanding was that the Tuohy family split the $350,000 equally and that when Oher declined the money, it was deposited into a trust for his son.
“What I feel really sad about is I watched the whole thing up close,” Lewis said. “They showered him with resources and love. That he’s suspicious of them is breathtaking.
“The state of mind one has to be in to do that — I feel sad for him.”
Former NFL player Michael Oher, the subject of the hit movie “The Blind Side,” claims Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy never officially adopted him.
According to court papers, the Tuohys tricked Oher into signing over the legal authority to use his name in business deals after he turned 18.
The 37-year-old alleged the Tuohys used their conservatorship to make millions in royalties from the 2009 Oscar-nominated film.
“The lie of Michael’s adoption is one upon which Co-Conservators Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy have enriched themselves at the expense of their Ward [Oher],” the legal filing said.
Sean Tuohy spoke out against the claims, saying the conservatorship was made to ensure that Oher was eligible to play football at the University of Mississippi.
Oher wants to end the Tuohys’ conservatorship and secure an injunction barring them from using his name and likeness.
He also wants an accounting of the money they’ve already earned off his name, a fair share of the profits, and punitive damages.
Oher sued the Tuohy family on Monday, alleging that he had been duped into a conservatorship, as opposed to being adopted and that he found out about the distinction.
In his 2011 autobiography, “I Beat the Odds,” Oher wrote that the Tuohys were “named as my ‘legal conservators,’” after he concluded high school, and added that they “explained to me that it means pretty much the same thing as ‘adoptive parents,’ but that the laws were just written in a way that took my age into account.”
Earlier this week, the Tuohy family defended members themselves, with Sean Tuohy saying he was “devastated” by the lawsuit and that the family had not profited significantly from the movie.
In a letter, the family’s attorney Marty Singer alleged that Oher had made a $15 million “shakedown” attempt before filing the suit.
Sandra Bullock, who portrayed Leigh Anne Tuohy, reportedly said she is “heartbroken” over Oher’s allegations.