Oher, now 37 and married with four kids, alleged in his legal petition that the Tuohys led him to believe that the conservatorship was equivalent to an adoption and only learned earlier this year that it gave him no familial ties to the football family. He stated that “at no point” did the Tuohys tell him they would have “ultimate control” over his contracts.
The petition states that a contracted signed in April 2007 granted the studio “the perpetual, unconditional and exclusive right throughout the world” to use and portray Oher’s name, likeness, voice, appearance and more characteristics “without any payment whatsoever.” However, Oher said in his filing he never “willing or knowingly” signed the document and “nobody ever presented this contract to him with any explanation” that he was signing a document about the rights to his name, image and life story.
One of the Tuohy’s lawyers, Steve Farese, has said in part, “The Tuohys never controlled any of Mr. Oher’s contracts,” per USA Today.
Since the legal ordeal, the Tuohys have shared their intentions to end Oher’s conservatorship after nearly 20 years.