Leigh Anne Tuohy and her husband, Sean, both 63, are ready to end Michael Oher‘s conservatorship amid the ongoing lawsuit he filed against them on Aug. 14. The couple’s attorney, Randall Fishman, told reporters on Aug. 16 that they will not stand in the 37-year-old’s way if he wishes to end the conservatorship, as reported by AP News. Both Leigh Anne and Sean “intend to enter into a consent order to end the conservatorship,” their legal rep said.
Michael, whose life was portrayed in the Oscar-winning film The Blind Side, filed a petition on Aug. 14 that accused the couple of not adopting him, per ESPN. In addition, Leigh Anne and Sean’s other lawyer, Marty Singer, told E! News on Aug. 16, that Michael was using the lawsuit as a “shakedown effort” for compensation.
“Anyone with a modicum of common sense can see that the outlandish claims made by Michael Oher about the Tuohy family are hurtful and absurd,” the attorney said. “The idea that the Tuohys have ever sought to profit off Mr. Oher is not only offensive, it is transparently ridiculous.” Singer went on to add that Sean and his wife would not seek to profit off of Michael as they are successful in their own right. “The notion that a couple worth hundreds of millions of dollars would connive to withhold a few thousand dollars in profit participation payments from anyone—let alone from someone they loved as a son—defies belief,” the legal rep added.
Michael Oher's brother SJ Tuohy joined @BarstoolRadio to speak on the lawsuit from Michael Oher's team pic.twitter.com/g1z2dhoIxg
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) August 14, 2023
Singer went on to note the “support” that the Tuohy family offered him over the years. “In reality, the Tuohys opened their home to Mr. Oher, offered him structure, support and, most of all, unconditional love,” he said. “They have consistently treated him like a son and one of their three children.” Leigh Anne and Sean share two children including Sean Tuohy Jr., 30, and Collins Tuohy, 36.
The couple “adopted” Michael during the summer of 2004, when they asked him to live with them. In the docs obtained by ESPN, Michael disputed that he was ever adopted by them. The Blind Side starring Sandra Bullock was released just five years later and earned her an Oscar award. Following the news of the petition, Sean released a statement on the matter to the The Daily Memphian on Aug. 14.
“We’re devastated,” he said regarding the Michael drama. “It’s upsetting to think we would make money off any of our children. But we’re going to love Michael at 37 just like we loved him at 16.” Sean also claimed that he did not profit off the former football star. “We didn’t make any money off the movie,” he added. “Well, Michael Lewis (the author of the book ‘The Blind Side’) gave us half of his share. Everybody in the family got an equal share, including Michael. It was about $14,000, each. We were never offered money; we never asked for money. My money is well-documented; you can look up how much I sold my company for.”
Amid that same interview, Sean assured the outlet that he and Leigh Anne are willing to end the conservatorship if that’s what Michael wants. “Of course,” he said. “I want whatever Michael wants.” He also added that, although he and his wife would be “upset” at Michael wanting out of their family, they would still oblige. “We’re not in this for anything other than whatever he wants. If he’d have said, ‘I don’t want to be part of the family anymore,’ we’d have been very upset, but we absolutely would have done it,” Sean shared.