the law

Michael Oher’s Conservatorship With Tuohys Terminated

Michael Oher. Photo: Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty

A Tennesse judge is ending the conservatorship agreement between former NFL player Michael Oher and the Tuohy family, AP News reports. The news comes a month after Oher sued Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, alleging that the family tricked him into the conservatorship, falsely claimed he was adopted, and used his story for financial gain. Their tale is depicted in the 2009 film The Blind Side, which earned Sandra Bullock an Academy Award. Shelby County Probate Court judge Kathleen Gomes was perplexed that the agreement was even reached, saying that she never saw a conservatorship reached with a person who is not disabled throughout her 43-year career. “I cannot believe it got done,†Gomes said, according to AP News. The Tuohys “vehemently deny†that they ever planned to legally adopt him in the first place, according to court papers filed September 14. Oher says the family saw him as “a gullible young man whose athletic talent could be exploited for their own benefit,†according to Oher’s filing. “Michael did not understand that if the conservatorship was granted, he was signing away his right to contract for himself.†The judge said that she will not dismiss Oher’s claims that the Tuohy family profited from his name, image, and likeness while under the agreement, paving the way for a continued legal battle.

Michael Oher’s Conservatorship With Tuohys Terminated