Michael Oher, whose so-called adoption by a rich white Memphis family was turned into the 2009 movie The Blind Side, claimed that the story was a lie. According to a petition filed in the Shelby County Probate Court on Monday (Aug. 14), Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, who took Oher into their home as a high school student, never adopted the now-retired NFL star and tricked him into signing a document that made them conservators, giving them legal authority over his business deals.

The 14-page petition, obtained by ESPN, stated that the Tuohys used their power as conservators to earn a deal that paid them and their two birth children more than $300 million from the Oscar Award-winning movie, while Oher received nothing for a story “that would not have existed without him.” It also stated that years after the film was released, the Tuohys continued to call the 37-year-old their adopted son and used that label to promote their businesses, including Leigh Anne’s work as an author and motivational speaker.

“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, the undersigned Michael Oher,” the court document reads. “Michael Oher discovered this lie to his chagrin and embarrassment in February of 2023, when he learned that the conservatorship to which he consented on the basis that doing so would make him a member of the Tuohy family, in fact provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys.”

The Blind Side was based on the 2006 book of the same name by Michael Lewis. The film tells the story of a homeless Black teen, who overcame his impoverished upbringing to play in the NFL with the help of his adoptive parents. It stars Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne, Tim McGraw as Sean, and Quinton Aaron as Oher. The sports drama film became a huge success as it grossed $309 million on a $29 million budget.