So, what’s the real story here?
In their 2010 book, which reflects on their life story and served as inspiration for the Oscar-winning film The Blind Side, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy make numerous references to adopting Michael Oher.
However, in a recent legal filing, they claim there was “never an intent to adopt” him.
Michael Oher, now 39, was placed under a conservatorship at the age of 18, granting Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, both 63, the authority to oversee his medical and financial matters.
Oher, a retired NFL star, filed a petition last month seeking to be released from the conservatorship, asserting that he only became aware of it in February. His attorney describes this discovery as deeply unsettling to Oher, as he had been led to believe by the couple that the arrangement was a form of adoption.
In response to Oher’s legal petition, the Tuohys stated they are willing to terminate his conservatorship, emphasizing that they never exercised control over his finances. However, they admit that they failed to submit an accounting of his finances to the state over the past two decades, a requirement under a conservatorship.
RELATED: Excerpt From Michael Oher’s 2011 Memoir Revealed Shocking Details About The Tuohys
In their filing, the Tuohys acknowledge that they have occasionally referred to Oher as their son “in the colloquial sense,” but they clarify that they never intended this to have legal implications. They deny Oher’s assertion that these familial references have caused him “any irreparable harm.”
However, in their 2010 book titled In a , the Tuohys, along with co-author Sally Jenkins, explicitly portray their relationship with Oher as that of an adopted son.
It’s important that everyone aligns their narratives.
