Tuohy family say they are victims of $15m ‘shakedown’ over Blind Side allegations

• Michael Oher says family did not adopt him as claimed
• Tuohys say they have treated former NFL star fairly

The Tuohy family, who former NFL star Michael Oher has accused of deceiving him over the story at the heart of the film The Blind Side, say they are the victims of a shakedown".

In a petition filed in a Tennessee court on Monday, Oher claims Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy did not adopt him - a central part of the movie's plot - but instead deceived him into making them his conservators just after his 18th birthday. Oher, who is Black, grew up in grinding poverty before being taken in by the Tuohys, a wealthy white family. He went on to play in the NFL. His life story was part of a book by Michael Lewis that was then adapted into the film of the same name.