Earlier today (Sept. 29), Associated Press reported that a Shelby County, Tennessee judge would terminate the conservatorship between Michael Oher and the Memphis couple who took him into their home when he was in high school. The decision stems from an accusation that Oher made against the Tuohy family back in August, when the retired NFL player accused his former guardians of conning him out of his money via a false adoption.
“The lie… is one upon which co-conservators Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy have enriched themselves at the expense of their ward, the undersigned Michael Oher,” the petition filed in court read. “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.”
In a response delivered to the court on Sept. 14, Sean and Leigh Anne stated that the agreement was only meant as a tool to secure Oher’s entry into college. “The NCAA made it clear that he could attend Ole Miss if he was part of the Tuohy family in some fashion,” their filing claimed. As far as the expectation of being adopted, the couple said that the term was being used “in the colloquial sense and they have never intended that reference to be viewed with legal implication.”
While the aforementioned agreement is ending, the petition is not. As ordered by Judge Kathleen Gomes, the Tuohys will have to provide any and all financial documentation that shows finances received from their 19-year custodial period with Oher. Gomes could not believe that the conservatorship was approved despite the fact that it involved an 18-year-old who had no disabilities.