Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy have decided to end their conservatorship over former NFL player Michael Oher, the family’s lawyers claim.
The family’s attorney Randall Fishman says the Tuohys will enter a consent order to end the conservatorship.
Fishman also claims that Michael Oher’s 2011 book, I Beat The Odds: From Homeless, To The Blindside, repeatedly refutes one of the former player’s central claims. In the book, Fishman states that Oher referenced that he was not adopted by the Tuohys three different times. This is relevant because Oher claimed in his recent suit filing that he didn’t realize the Tuohys didn’t adopt him at the time.
Baltimore Ravens #23 draft pick Michael Oher poses for a photograph with his family at Radio City Music Hall for the 2009 NFL Draft on April 25, 2009, in New York City (Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
Another attorney representing the family, Steve Farese, says that Oher and his clients have been estranged for about ten years after Oher had grown “more and more vocal and more and more threatening.”
Oher is suing the Tuohys, claiming that the family had him sign papers making them his conservators instead of his adoptive parents. Oher claims that he believed the papers made Sean And Leigh Anne his adoptive parents. In addition, Oher is seeking a full accounting of all assets and monies made from the movie.
Oher claims he has not received money from the movie.
The former NFL player believes the Tuohys misrepresented themselves as his adoptive parents while having him sign paperwork that gave them the power to make money off of his name.
Michael Oher, #73 of the Carolina Panthers, watches play against the Arizona Cardinals during the NFC Championship Game at Bank Of America Stadium on January 24, 2016, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
The conservatorship became official shortly after Oher’s 18th birthday in 2004. Oher accuses the Tuohys of never attempting to adopt him before he turned 18. Oher also claims that he was “falsely advised” that the conservatorship was only in effect because he was 18, but eventually, adopting him was the family’s intent.
The family’s attorney counters that claim by saying that the conservatorship route was chosen to appease the NCAA. At the time, the NCAA was concerned that the Tuohys were influencing Oher to go to their alma mater, Ole Miss. The conservatorship was intended to show the collegiate governing body that Oher was a part of the family.
The family’s attorney further claims that the Tuohys, and Oher, received only “a tiny percentage of net profits” from the movie. The payouts to each family member, including Oher, are estimated to be $100,000, according to the family’s attorneys.
“Michael got every dime, every dime he had coming,” said Fishman.
While the Tuohys claim that the conservatorship was established to assist Oher in gaining a driver’s license, health insurance, and college admission. Another effect of conservatorship in Tennessee is that they remove the ability of a person to make business decisions for themselves.
A technicality that makes conservatorship common for those caring for people who are mentally or physically disabled.
Oher claims that because he doesn’t suffer any mental or physical impairment, the conservatorship should never have been established.