Blindsided: The Michael Oher Conservatorship Controversy Explained

Michael Oher has had a remarkable life so far. Born to a single mother struggling with addiction and growing up in and out of foster care, Oher went on to star as a University of Mississippi football player and was selected in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft. He played eight seasons in the NFL, won a Super Bowl in 2016, and is the subject of a book that inspired an Oscar-winning movie, The Blind Side.

Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, the Tennessee couple who took Oher into their home when he was in high school and were appointed as his estate's conservators, are prominently featured in The Blind Side. But Oher has recently alleged that, contrary to the movie's portrayal, the Tuohys never actually adopted him. Oher alleges that the Tuohy's instead tricked him into agreeing to the conservatorship and unjustly profited from his trust in them.

While the accusations will play out in court, they raise questions about conservatorships, when they are necessary, and how they affect estate planning.

What Is a Conservatorship?

A conservatorship is a court-ordered arrangement that gives one or more people (a conservator) legal authority to manage the affairs of another person (a conservatee or ward).

Most jurisdictions—including Tennessee, where the Michael Oher conservatorship was created—recognize two types of conservatorships:

1.    A conservatorship of the person authorizes a conservator to manage the conservatee's personal affairs, including their healthcare and living arrangements.

2.    A conservatorship of the estate grants the conservator the authority necessary to supervise the conservatee's financial affairs, such as managing their money, paying their bills, and, in some instances, setting up an estate plan for them.

Conservatees are often children, but they can also be adults who are incapacitated, have developmental or age-related disabilities, or are otherwise deemed by the court to be unable to handle their own financial or personal affairs. A famous example of this is the Britney Spears conservatorship that was set up following her pattern of erratic behavior and placement in a psychiatric hospital for observation. In Spears's case, her conservatorship was split into two parts—one for her estate and finances and one for her as a person. [1]

A conservatorship may be established following a court petition by a friend or relative asking for the appointment of a conservator. The petition must explain the basis for establishing the proposed conservatorship. In many cases involving adult conservatorship, the petition must indicate that the conservatee is at risk of injury to their person due to their inability to manage their daily needs or make medical decisions, or of financial exploitation or involuntary depletion of their assets. Following an investigation and a hearing, the court decides whether a conservatorship is warranted.

If a conservatorship is granted, a conservator is named, and their specific powers are set out in a court order. Typically, the court requires conservators to file annual financial accounts or plans for the care of the person, depending on the type of conservatorship.

Michael Oher's Conservatorship

In 2004, shortly after Oher turned 18 and about two months before he signed on to play football at Ole Miss, a Tennessee judge entered an order establishing a conservatorship over Oher with the Tuohys as conservators. At the time, the conservatorship was established with the permission of Oher and his biological mother. According to the conservatorship filing, a judge declared that the Tuohys "should have all powers of attorney to act on his behalf and further that Oher shall not be allowed to enter into any contracts or bind himself without the direct approval of his conservators."[2]

Legal experts say the 2004 filing for a conservatorship of the person is unusual because Oher had "no known physical or psychological disabilities." The petition notes that he was a good student and made the dean's list his sophomore year.

In an August 14 petition to terminate the conservatorship, which was allegedly scheduled to end when Oher was 25 years old, Oher claimed that the Tuohys deceived him and did not act in his best interest as conservators. [3] His petition stated that he did not understand that he was giving up his right to contract for himself, the Tuohys misrepresented the conservatorship as an adoption, and that "the lie of adoption" enabled the Tuohys to enrich themselves at the expense of Oher, including from film royalties.

In addition to seeking to sever the conservatorship, the lawsuit filed by Oher sought a full accounting of assets; an injunction prohibiting the Tuohys from using his name, image, and likeness; compensatory and punitive damages; and costs and attorneys' fees.

Adoption versus Conservatorship

Adopting Oher would have made him a member of the Tuohy family, no different in the eyes of the law than the Tuohys' two biological children. Adoption would also have allowed Oher to retain power over his own financial affairs—a power that he surrendered under the conservatorship.

The Tuohys say they are blindsided by Oher's accusations that they profited from the conservatorship. Their version of events portrays the conservatorship as necessary to help Oher obtain a driver's license, health insurance, and assistance with the college admissions process. [4] Sean Tuohy said lawyers advised him at the time that adoption was not an option because Oher was 18 and a legal adult.

Many states, including Tennessee, however, allow adult adoption. Adoption laws in Tennessee permit adoption at any age. When the adoptee is over the age of 18, consent from birth parents is not needed—only the permission of the adopted adult. This law is apparently not new. As part of a fact check about adult adoptions in the state, a Tennessee adoption attorney told Fox 13 Memphis that they have been doing them for decades. [5]

Conservatorships and Estate Planning

The Tennessee judge overseeing the case has signed an order ending the conservatorship. [6] However, Oher's accusations against the Tuohys will still have to play out in court. Among the legal questions to be answered are whether the Tuohys filed an annual report with an accounting of Oher's finances with the probate court and if they have received money on Oher's behalf and properly disbursed it to him.

Conservatorships, illustrated by the Michael Oher and Britney Spears cases, can sometimes lead to family feuds over a conservator's intentions toward a ward. Taking away somebody's legal rights to make decisions—and giving those rights to somebody else—is often reserved only for extreme situations, such as when somebody is brain-injured, suffers a stroke, is in a coma, or develops dementia.

In such cases where the court declares that a person is unable to manage their own affairs, a conservator may be appointed. One of the rights the court may grant the conservator is the power to make an estate plan for the conservatee. Depending on the situation and specific authority granted to the conservator, however, a person subject to a conservatorship may still have the capacity to set up their own estate plan. The ward may later revoke or amend a conservator-drafted estate plan if they can show that they possess testamentary capacity or that their rights, as delegated by the court, are restored.

Given the restrictive nature of a conservatorship and the lengthy court process to establish it, families may want to avoid it unless there is an imminent need that cannot be addressed through less restrictive means. If estate planning documents, such as powers of attorney for finances and healthcare, are already in place, the family can avoid a conservatorship and step in to manage finances or make important decisions as soon as it becomes necessary.

Plan Early and Often to Avoid Difficult Choices Later

Failure to plan for all possibilities—even those we would rather not think about—can have unintended consequences. If you neglect estate planning now, you could limit your future options regarding issues such as conservatorships, probate, and inheritance.

Maybe there is an adult family member whom you never legally adopted but would like to adopt now for estate planning purposes. There might be lingering questions about what would happen to you, your spouse, your adult children, or your aging parents if disability or incapacity suddenly struck. Alternatively, it could be the case that a loved one is already showing signs of dementia and may not have the capacity to execute estate planning documents.

Our estate planning attorneys are in the business of addressing these sensitive questions professionally and legally, and of creating a plan that leaves nothing to chance. To start planning today, contact our office and schedule a meeting.

If a loved one has recently passed and you are unsure what to do, please get in touch with us so we can help you restore stability and clarity to your life. Click here to schedule a meeting.

Footnotes

[1] Britney Spears: Singer's Conservatorship Case Explained, BBC (November 12, 2021), https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53494405

[2] Sean Neumann, Attorneys Explain What's "Puzzling" about Michael Oher's Conservatorship Filing—and What's Next, People (August 21, 2023), https://people.com/attorneys-explain-what-is-puzzling-about-michael-oher-s-conservatorship-filing-and-what-is-next-7706819

[3] In re Michael Jerome Williams, Jr. a/k/a Michael Jerome Oher, No. C-010333 (Prob. Ct. of Shelby Cnty. Tenn. August 14, 2023), https://www.wkrn.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/73/2023/08/Michael-Oher-Lawsuit.pdf

[4] Adrian Sainz & Teresa M. Walker, Devastated Tuohys Ready to End Conservatorship for Michael Oher, Lawyers Say, AP (August 16, 2023), https://apnews.com/article/nfl-michael-oher-tuohys-blind-side-movie-1bebe2ba9ee2ba60ac806dabab4f6d4c

[5] Katrina Morgan, Yes, It Is Legal to Adopt Someone Over the Age of 18 in Tennessee, 13NewsNow (August 17, 2023), https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/verify/national-verify/yes-it-is-legal-to-adopt-someone-over-the-age-of-18-in-tennessee/536-2b3ffb4f-c80d-4ea4-9d46-e0db4d914d71

[6] Brynn Gingras & Emma Tucker, Judge Terminates Tuohy Family Conservatorship over Former NFL Player Michael Oher, Depicted in The Blind Side, CNN (September 30, 2023), https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/29/us/michael-oher-tuohy-conservatorship-termination/index.html

Doesn’t Everything Go To My Spouse And Kids When I Die?

Many people think that if they die while they are married, everything they own automatically goes to their spouse or children. They’re actually thinking of state rules that apply if someone dies without leaving a will. In legal jargon, this is referred to as “intestate.” In that case, the specifics will vary depending on each state's law, so where you live when you die can significantly change the outcome for your family. However, the general rule is that your spouse will receive a share, and the rest will be divided among your children. Exactly how much a spouse will inherit depends on the state, though.

Now, it may seem like, “So far, so good.” Your spouse is getting an inheritance, so are the kids. But here are some examples of how the laws can fail many common family situations.

First off, if both parents of minor-aged children die intestate, then the children are left without a legal guardian. Kids don't automatically go to a godparent, even if that's what everyone knew the parents had intended. Instead, a court will appoint someone to be the children's guardian. In such situations, the judge seeks to act in the children’s best interests and gathers information on the parents, the children, and the family circumstances. But the decision is up to the court, and the judge may not make the decision that you, as a parent, would have made.

When it comes to asset division, in most cases, state intestacy law presumes that a family consists of a husband, wife, and their natural-born children. But, that’s not necessarily the way many families are structured, and things can become legally complicated quickly.

According to Wealth Management, one analysis has 50 different types of family structures in American households. Almost 18% of Americans have been remarried, and–through adoption and stepfamilies–millions of children are living in blended families. The laws just haven't kept up, and absurd results can occur if you rely on intestacy as your estate plan. Stepchildren that you helped raise (but didn’t legally adopt) may end up with no inheritance, while a soon-to-be-ex-spouse may inherit from you.

Say, for instance, a father has a will that allocates assets to his spouse and two children, then they adopt a third child. Then, the father dies in a car accident before he's able to revise his will. In some states, because the adopted child is not mentioned in the will, she may not be entitled to any inheritance.

If that isn't worrisome enough, consider that, in some states, the law provides that an adopted child still has rights to the biological parents' assets–and the biological parents are entitled to inherit a child's wealth. (Imagine if the adopted-as-an-infant Steve Jobs had died intestate, and his biological parents demanded a share of his estate!)

Of course, with a will or trust, you can control your estate and essentially eliminate the risk of these crazy results.

What if You and Your Spouse Are Separated?

State law decides what happens to your estate if you are separated from your spouse when you die. Much of the time, the court ignores your separation and just considers you still legally married.

Unless you have a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement, it is extremely difficult to disinherit your spouse. Again, even if a spouse is omitted from a will, state laws might choose to give a surviving husband or wife a share of the assets.

If you are separated from your spouse, and your divorce is pending, you should definitely talk with your divorce lawyer and an estate planning attorney about your options.

Creditors Win:

Intestacy provides no asset protection or preservation benefits. Without any protections in place, an estate's assets are still vulnerable to creditors, lawsuits, and others who may claim entitlement to the property. These claims would take precedence over the statutory requirements for inheritance. In other words, the family may not receive the lion's share of the estate. They'd get the leftovers.

The best way to safeguard and pass along what you’ve worked so hard to build is to talk to a qualified estate planning attorney. If you want to ensure that your family is cared for, please click here to schedule your complimentary Estate Planning Strategy Call with San Francisco’s premier estate planning attorney, Matthew J. Tuller.