Tuohy family accuses Michael Oher of extortion in latest 'Blind Side' court docs
The Tuohys, the family at the center of the hit 2009 film "The Blind Side" and the 2006 book on which the film was based, are now accusing Michael Oher, the man whom they say they treated like a son, of threatening to extort them if they didn't pay him millions.
In court documents filed Dec. 4 by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy in Shelby County Probate Court in Tennessee, the couple released text messages they say are between them and Oher.
In one message allegedly from Oher, he calls the couple "thieves," while another says, "I was robbed of 50 million+, 10 million is my final offer."
Further text messages allegedly from Oher read: "If something isn't resolve [sic] this Friday, I'm going to go ahead and tell the world, how I was robbed by my suppose [sic] to be parents. That's the deadline."
"Think how it will look when this comes out," reads yet another message allegedly from Oher.
Oher allegedly increased the monetary amount he was demanding from the Tuohys in another text, which read: "It was 10 million now I want 15 after taxes."
The former NFL star, who played a total of eight seasons in the pro football league, claims the Tuohys took advantage of him and turned his life story into a box office hit that was nominated for the best picture Oscar, depriving him of millions in the process.
The Tuohy family denies Oher's allegations and, according to court documents they filed in November, they claim any money from the movie was divided equally among each family member, including Oher and the Tuohy's two biological children. They say he was paid a little more than $138,000 in total over 10 payments.
Oher, now 37, first made headlines in August when he alleged that the Tuohys tricked him into signing what he thought were adoption papers when he was 18, but which he says was in fact a conservatorship that gave the couple control over his finances.
A Tennessee judge subsequently ended that nearly 20-year conservatorship in September.
In response to a "Good Morning America" request for comment, a representative for Oher provided a statement from him, which declared: "Like I have said before, I have faith in the court system, so for now I will leave what has to be said through that process. My objections to the claims made are in the filing."
A similar "Good Morning America" request for comment sent to attorneys for the Tuohys had not received a response by time of publication.
