The Tuohy family seeks to end conservatorship of Michael Oher. What do we know?

What is becoming an increasingly bitter spat between the former Carolina Panthers OT and the family that once cared for him, has taken yet another turn with the latter apparently seeking to end their legal tie to him. Is that an admission of guilt or simply a washing of hands?

Tuohy family seeks to end the conservatorship of Michael Oher

If you’ve been following recent reports about former NFL offensive lineman Michael Oher, then you know that he’s now embroiled in a legal battle with the Tuohy family over what he believes is unfair control of his finances and assets due to a conservatorship. As you know, Oher was the subject of the 2009 film by the name of “The Blind Side” in which his life with the family was portrayed. The 37-year-old recently filed a petition stating that the film’s content is largely false and that the family never adopted him, but rather profited off of his image, likeness, and name. The Tuohy family has since denied Oher’s claims and now it seems are seeking to put the entire issue to bed.

According to their attorneys on Wednesday, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy are now planning to end their conservatorship of Oher. To be clear, the family’s representatives have contended that Oher did in fact receive the same share of profits from the film as members of the Tuohy family. This of course is in direct contrast to what Oher’s lawsuit states which is that the family entered into conservatorship while presenting it to the public as legal adoption. His lawsuit also calls for an end to the conservatorship which has been in place since 2004, just months after his 18th birthday.

What to know about the Tuohy family’s conservatorship of Michael Oher

While some details remain unclear, what is very much certain is that by entering Oher into a conservatorship, the Tuohys were able to oversee his finances, while making legal decisions without his consent despite the fact that he was not a legal member of the family. Where the film is concerned, not only did it win awards - actress Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for her portrayal of Leigh Ann Tuohy - but it grossed more than $300 million worldwide. “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 legal filing read.

What has the Tuohy family said?

As mentioned before, the Tuohy family has denied the allegations that have been leveled at them by Oher. Referring to his claims as “hurtful and absurd”, attorneys for the family have also stated that the family received a total of $500,000 which was split evenly among the five members of the family - Oher included - meaning every person received $100,000.

“In reality, the Tuohys opened their home to Mr. Oher, offered him structure, support and, most of all, unconditional love,” attorney Martin Singer said in a statement. “They have consistently treated him like a son and one of their three children. His response was to threaten them, including saying that he would plant a negative story about them in the press unless they paid him $15 million. They insisted that any money received be divided equally. And they have made good on that pledge,” Singer continued. “The evidence - documented in profit participation checks and studio accounting statements - is clear: over the years, the Tuohys have given Mr. Oher an equal cut of every penny received from ‘The Blind Side.’ Even recently, when Mr. Oher started to threaten them about what he would do unless they paid him an eight-figure windfall, and, as part of that shakedown effort refused to cash the small profit checks from the Tuohys, they still deposited Mr. Oher’s equal share into a trust account they set up for his son.” The case between Oher and the Tuohy family is ongoing.