Ex-NFL player Michael Oher has been released from the Tuohys’ legal guardianship following his allegations, a judge has announced.
Michael Oher, has been released from his legal guardianship of Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy. Judge Kathleen Gomes declared them off on Friday.
Oher, the former Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle, sued the Tuohy family, claiming they cheated him out of revenue from the blockbuster movie “The Blind Side.” According to the suit, he only found out earlier this year that he was under a guardianship instead of being adopted.
“The lie of Michael’s adoption is a lie that Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy used to enrich themselves at Michael Oher’s expense,” Oher’s lawsuit says, according to “ESPN”.
“Michael Oher discovered this lie, to his chagrin and embarrassment, in February 2023, when he learned that the guardianship he had agreed to in order to become a member of the Tuohy family did not, in fact, provide him with a familial bond,” the lawsuit continues.
Tuohys: “Never intended to adopt Oher “
A lawyer for the Tuohys said last month that they were ending the guardianship. “There was never any intention to adopt him,” the Tuohy family wrote in a court filing earlier this month.
The filing says they referred to Oher as their son “in the colloquial sense” and never intended for that reference to be considered with legal implications.
“In fact, they always felt that the plaintiff was like a son and occasionally took advantage of this, but not in a legal sense,” the filing continues.
The Tuohys also said in the legal documents that Oher would have received one-fifth of the proceeds from “The Blind Side”, the same amount as Sean, Leigh Anne and their two biological children.
Sean Tuohy told The Daily Memphian that the guardianship was created in 2004 solely to ensure that Oher could play college football and finish it at any time.
Michael Oher: Tuohys appointed conservator
“They were appointed guardian of the person. There was no estate to account for,” their lawyer Randy Fishman said earlier this month, “took care of all his own finances.”
He added: “He made his own contracts. Hired his own agents. The Tuohys never had to sign off on anything. He did it all himself.”
Oher’s applications portray the Tuohys as opportunists who took advantage of his naivety and desire to be included in their family to reap financial benefits at his expense.
Oher played left tackle at Ole Miss, the alma mater of Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy. Oher was a first-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft and had an eight-year NFL career with the Ravens, Titans and Panthers.
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