‘Blind Side’ Subject Michael Oher’s Conservatorship Comes To An End: Judge Says They “Cannot Believe It Got Done” In The First Place

Story by Radhamely De Leon

A judge has ruled to terminate the conservatorship between Michael Oher and Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, whose tale inspired the Sandra Bullock movie The Blind Side.

The Associated Press reports that Tennessee judge Kathleen Gomes ruled to end the conservatorship almost 19 years after it was put in place. She expressed her disbelief that the Tuohys were even able to reach the conservatorship agreement in the first place, saying she had never seen a conservatorship be reached for a person who was not disabled in her 43-year career.

“I cannot believe it got done,” she said.

Though the conservatorship was terminated, the case was not dismissed. In his filing, Oher requested that they no longer be allowed to use his name or likeness. He also requested a full accounting of the money made from his life story and would like to receive his “fair share” of the profits.

Oher filed the lawsuit earlier this year, claiming he believed he had been adopted by Sean and Leigh Anne when he signed the agreement in 2004. He also accused the couple of profiting off of his life story.

“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,” Oher’s lawsuit filing reads.

The conservatorship, which was signed in 2004 when Oher was 18, gave the Tuohys complete legal authority over any of his business deals.

Photo: Getty Images

“Mike didn’t grow up with a stable family life. When the Tuohy family told Mike they loved him and wanted to adopt him, it filled a void that had been with him his entire life,” his attorney J. Gerard Stranch IV said when the lawsuit was filmed. “Discovering that he wasn’t actually adopted devastated Mike and wounded him deeply.”

Stanch claimed that Oher’s relationship with the Tuohys began deteriorating when he saw he had been portrayed as “unintelligent” in The Blind Side. He also allegedly realized he was the only member of the family who was not receiving royalty checks from the movie due to an agreement that he believes he was misled into signing.

He then hired a lawyer to investigate why, leading to his discovery that he had never been adopted by the family.

The Tuohys have since denied his claims, saying they have always thought of him as a son. Though their response filing said they were “ready, willing, and able to terminate the conservatorship by consent at any time,” per NBC News, they “vehemently” denied that they thought he was a “gullible young man whose athletic talent could be exploited for their own benefit.”

However, the filing does note that they “never intended to, and in fact never did, take any action to assume legal custody through the Juvenile Court of Shelby County.”

Oher and the Tuohys reportedly did not speak during the hearing.

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‘Blind Side’ Subject Michael Oher’s Conservatorship Comes To An End: Judge Says They “Cannot Believe It Got Done” In The First Place