Michael Oher shocked the football world and beyond back in August when the former NFL player sued the Tuohy family, the Memphis-area couple who took him in when he was a senior in high school, for allegedly lying to him and the world about adopting him. Their story was dramatized in the hit 2009 movie The Blind Side and served as an uplifting inspiration for all, despite Oher later claiming that some elements of the story were made up. Now, he’s achieved one of his core goals.
Oher claimed in his August court filing that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy never actually adopted him, instead having him sign a document that made them his conservators. He was 18 years old at the time. As a result of the agreement, they had the legal power to make business deals in his name, resulting in him allegedly not getting paid for any of The Blind Side‘s box office success.
After a public back-and-forth between Oher and the Tuohys, the conservatorship has officially been terminated. Shelby County Probate Court Judge Kathleen Gomes said she didn’t even know how such a legal arrangement was ever set up, pointing out that in her 43-year career, she’d never seen a conservatorship agreement with someone who was not disabled.
“I cannot believe it got done,” she said of the arrangement, according to The Associated Press.
Both Oher and the Tuohys listened in on the hearing in a video conference call, but neither spoke as the ruling was handed down. Attorneys for both sides had already come to the agreement that the conservatorship should end prior to today’s court session. Still, Oher’s other demands have yet to be addressed, including asking for payment for all the money earned off his name and story, with interest.
