The Blind Side 2: The search for more money

[gatormarc 911]

6 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

On the idea of the conservatorship and maybe why he still had it at 37, I'm reminded that Britney Spears had a conservatorship for years. In the last few years, she went to court and asked the judge to remove it, and the judge told her that she could have removed the conservatorship at any point by just asking. She expressed surprise at that at least towards the media.

Makes sense. The NYT released documents where she had been asking to have it removed for years and those requests were ignored or declined.

And when she finally did get it removed, it was a helluva battle, not simply asking the judge.

[hayden_horn 11362]

i think what happened is that dude was writing his memoir or whatever, got to the part about the movie, and his ghost writer or whoever was all "so, what'd you get out of that windfall?" and oher was all "not really, anything, now that i think about it. that's kind of fucked up, given the amount of attention that movie got me" and so he started looking into it and started feeling robbed when he started putting the pieces together.

the parents didn't do it for the money, though. they did it for the access.  they are like demigods as boosters at ole miss now, i bet. you cannot put a price on that.

i'm willing to bet they took the money like my parents took my $5k CD (dating myself) when i was a kid. they never viewed at as stealing because it was them that got me that money or whatever. bot no one talked to me about it. i was later lamely told (and accepted) that was the cost of mom's hand me down car. $7k in a bank or wheels right now? math is easy for a teenager, and the parents talk themselves into it because they've given more in value than the perceived $$$ at play.  ie, if they weren't so generous with their time by picking up the kid from the dumpster or whatever, he wouldn't have an nfl career, so this is a drop in the bucket, right?

so i'm not willing to burn the parents at the stake here. like anything else, it was people not talking to each other. how could the conservatorship still be in play? sag residuals? fuck if i know. i know the parents did him wrong on this deal, but he's also got new people in his ear talking to him about how they ripped him off. 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13509]

16 minutes ago, gatormarc said:

Makes sense. The NYT released documents where she had been asking to have it removed for years and those requests were ignored or declined.

And when she finally did get it removed, it was a helluva battle, not simply asking the judge.

No, she only petitioned the court once to have it removed after 10+ years of the conservatorship, and it was removed when she asked for it. At least according to the NYT.

Article quote on the hearing where she and her family asked for the conservatorship to end: 

Quote

Speaking to Judge Brenda Penny in a lengthy speech that ran nearly 30 minutes before a Los Angeles court, Britney, 39, said she had no idea she could request that the conservatorship end.

"I want changes, I deserve changes. I was told I have to be sat down and evaluated again," she said Wednesday, going on to address Judge Penny directly. "Ma'am, I didn't know I could petition the conservatorship to end. I honestly didn't know that."

 

[gatormarc 911]

2 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

No, she only petitioned the court once to have it removed after 10+ years of the conservatorship, and it was removed when she asked for it. At least according to the NYT.

Article quote on the hearing where she and her family asked for the conservatorship to end: 

 

Same article:
 

Quote

“She articulated she feels the conservatorship has become an oppressive and controlling tool against her,” a court investigator wrote in a 2016 report. The system had “too much control,” Ms. Spears said, according to the investigator’s account of the conversation. “Too, too much!”

Ms. Spears informed the investigator that she wanted the conservatorship terminated as soon as possible. “She is ‘sick of being taken advantage of’ and she said she is the one working and earning her money but everyone around her is on her payroll,” the investigator wrote.

 

[TxTower 650]

At the end of the day, all of the parties involved will have made more money than me, so my give-a-shitter on this subject is pretty much broke.
I think I read Oher made something like $34 million in career earnings not counting endorsements?  

Which is why the title of this thread is spot on.

[ztejas 43411]

6 minutes ago, hayden_horn said:

i think what happened is that dude was writing his memoir or whatever, got to the part about the movie, and his ghost writer or whoever was all "so, what'd you get out of that windfall?"

He already released a book, though. In 2011. 

[redswingline 1057]

On 8/14/2023 at 12:39 PM, ztejas said:

Why is he just now taking this to court?

Comes across like he was blindsided by all of this.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13509]

13 minutes ago, hayden_horn said:

i think what happened is that dude was writing his memoir or whatever, got to the part about the movie, and his ghost writer or whoever was all "so, what'd you get out of that windfall?" and oher was all "not really, anything, now that i think about it. that's kind of fucked up, given the amount of attention that movie got me" and so he started looking into it and started feeling robbed when he started putting the pieces together.

Logical point about how this may have recently became an issue for him. 

And if he has any money issues, which none of us know, it can make people act more protective of money. I've watched people at casinos blow through thousands and not seemingly care. Then they get down to their last few hundred and they will explode if they feel something was unfair.  Whether its 3rd base on blackjack playing inconsistently or the dice leaning on the wall at craps.  $200 doesn't mean much when you have $10K but if you only have $300 the $200 is everything.

[Wade 464]

Family fighting back

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/nfl/article-12410317/Michael-Oher-demanded-15MILLION-Tuohy-family-petitioning-court-end-conservatorship-claims-allowed-adopted-parents-profit-Blind-says-lawyer.html

[redswingline 1057]

50 minutes ago, Evil Bill Obrien said:

 

 

 

 

That's not Sandra Bullock. She never had breast implants / augmentation.

 

This is a recent picture of Sandra

 

[MonkeyDoughnut 10229]

Since not enough of a story, let's throw in that Hugh Freeze was Oher's coach at Briarcrest HS where all this started and that Freeze was hired by Ole Miss (Ed Orgeron) just 3 weeks after Oher committed to them in 2005.

[oSuJeff97 3435]

On 8/14/2023 at 3:46 PM, 'stache said:

 

Wait, this ugly bitch was the one portrayed by Sandra Bullock, apparently as a total milf? Yeah, totally believable, lol. If I'm ever portrayed on film, I guess it should be Ryan Gossling, just give him black hair and darker skin, lol.

She looks like an amalgam of every middle-aged basic bitch from every suburb in the South. 

1000% there's every stupid "EAT PRAY LOVE", "GATHER", "HOME", etc., in their house along with a wall covered with about 100 stupid silver crosses.

[Evil Bill Obrien 3265]

2 minutes ago, redswingline said:

That's not Sandra Bullock. She never had breast implants / augmentation.

 

This is a recent picture of Sandra

 

Just appreciate the woman who looks kinda like a younger Sandra Bullock with the nice cans man...

[Davis Lane 5580]

1 hour ago, demos said:

This thread needs more Sandra Bullock.

[Park Gothic 5016]

46 minutes ago, gatormarc said:

Same article:
 

Quote

“She articulated she feels the conservatorship has become an oppressive and controlling tool against her,” a court investigator wrote in a 2016 report. The system had “too much control,” Ms. Spears said, according to the investigator’s account of the conversation. “Too, too much!”

Ms. Spears informed the investigator that she wanted the conservatorship terminated as soon as possible. “She is ‘sick of being taken advantage of’ and she said she is the one working and earning her money but everyone around her is on her payroll,” the investigator wrote.

 

Her telling an investigator that she wants the conservatorship removed doesn't do anything though. It's like Michael Scott "declaring" bankruptcy.

She has to actually petition the court for a judge to actually make a change. And it sounds like the moment she actually did that the conservatorship was removed.

Why she didn't talk to a lawyer about any of this sooner is beyond me. 

Edited August 15, 2023 by Park Gothic

[gatormarc 911]

5 minutes ago, Park Gothic said:

Her telling an investigator that she wants the conservatorship removed doesn't do anything though. It's like Michael Scott "declaring" bankruptcy.

She has to actually petition the court for a judge to actually make a change. And it sounds like the moment she actually did that the conservatorship was removed.

Why she didn't talk to a lawyer about any of this sooner is beyond me. 

How does talking to a court investigator end there? Especially when talking about something like conservatorship where it's so easy for someone to be taken advantage of.

[ChickenSandwich 9828]

34 minutes ago, Wade said:

Family fighting back

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/nfl/article-12410317/Michael-Oher-demanded-15MILLION-Tuohy-family-petitioning-court-end-conservatorship-claims-allowed-adopted-parents-profit-Blind-says-lawyer.html

Sounds like they have financial documentation of the movie payouts...

 

The evidence – documented in profit participation checks and studio accounting statements – is clear: over the years, the Tuohys have given Mr. Oher an equal cut of every penny received from The Blind Side. Even recently, when Mr. Oher started to threaten them about what he would do unless they paid him an eight-figure windfall, and, as part of that shakedown effort refused to cash the small profit checks from the Tuohys, they still deposited Mr. Oher's equal share into a trust account they set up for his son.

 

Additionally, in spite of the false allegation in the lawsuit, the Tuohys have always been upfront about how a conservatorship (from which not one penny was received) was established to assist with Mr. Oher's needs, ranging from getting him health insurance and obtaining a driver's license to helping with college admissions. Should Mr. Oher wish to terminate the conservatorship, either now or at anytime in the future, the Tuohys will never oppose it in any way.

Unbeknownst to the public, Mr. Oher has actually attempted to run this play several times before – but it seems that numerous other lawyers stopped representing him once they saw the evidence and learned the truth. Sadly, Mr. Oher has finally found a willing enabler and filed this ludicrous lawsuit as a cynical attempt to drum up attention in the middle of his latest book tour.

Edited August 15, 2023 by ChickenSandwich

[Trey3216 15345]

1 hour ago, longhornmatt said:

If he was in the wills of a couple with 9 figure wealth and getting a 1/3 share of that, plus benefitting from parental largesse while they're alive, and he torched that relationship to make up a lawsuit so his book could get a little more attention - then he's really, really dumb.  Even if he blew all his NFL money, when someone is low on cash it's generally rather helpful to have a dad worth $200,000,000.  

Of course, if the Tuohys became less "parental" over the years after they got what they wanted, or maybe he even found out he isn't really in the will like the birth kids - then, yeah, that would explain why he might sue them and be fine with burning that bridge.  And why he would start digging around about financial matters like this in the first place.  

Anyway, whether he has a legit claim really just boils down to whether the Tuohys actually made money on the movie or not.  The "It was against NCAA rules to pay him!" defense seems even weaker now that they admitted they gave him a share of the money from Michael Lewis.  They could have done the same with residuals from the movie.  If they made more money from the movie beyond the $14,000 from Lewis, then there's not really a great defense to taking over as conservator for a guy and cutting him out of a deal while you still profit.  

 

The share from Michael Lewis is below the combined gift tax threshold for a year, so that doesn’t make a shit 

[Trey3216 15345]

10 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said:

Sounds like they have financial documentation of the movie payouts...

 

The evidence – documented in profit participation checks and studio accounting statements – is clear: over the years, the Tuohys have given Mr. Oher an equal cut of every penny received from The Blind Side. Even recently, when Mr. Oher started to threaten them about what he would do unless they paid him an eight-figure windfall, and, as part of that shakedown effort refused to cash the small profit checks from the Tuohys, they still deposited Mr. Oher's equal share into a trust account they set up for his son.

 

Additionally, in spite of the false allegation in the lawsuit, the Tuohys have always been upfront about how a conservatorship (from which not one penny was received) was established to assist with Mr. Oher's needs, ranging from getting him health insurance and obtaining a driver's license to helping with college admissions. Should Mr. Oher wish to terminate the conservatorship, either now or at anytime in the future, the Tuohys will never oppose it in any way.

Unbeknownst to the public, Mr. Oher has actually attempted to run this play several times before – but it seems that numerous other lawyers stopped representing him once they saw the evidence and learned the truth. Sadly, Mr. Oher has finally found a willing enabler and filed this ludicrous lawsuit as a cynical attempt to drum up attention in the middle of his latest book tour.

Ha Mother Fucking Ha!   If this is the truth, then I can’t wait for a few stupid motherfuckers to come eat crow in this thread.  

{narrator} they won’t {narrator} 

 

 

[TwiceHorn 31440]

11 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said:

Sounds like they have financial documentation of the movie payouts...

 

The evidence – documented in profit participation checks and studio accounting statements – is clear: over the years, the Tuohys have given Mr. Oher an equal cut of every penny received from The Blind Side. Even recently, when Mr. Oher started to threaten them about what he would do unless they paid him an eight-figure windfall, and, as part of that shakedown effort refused to cash the small profit checks from the Tuohys, they still deposited Mr. Oher's equal share into a trust account they set up for his son.

 

Additionally, in spite of the false allegation in the lawsuit, the Tuohys have always been upfront about how a conservatorship (from which not one penny was received) was established to assist with Mr. Oher's needs, ranging from getting him health insurance and obtaining a driver's license to helping with college admissions. Should Mr. Oher wish to terminate the conservatorship, either now or at anytime in the future, the Tuohys will never oppose it in any way.

Unbeknownst to the public, Mr. Oher has actually attempted to run this play several times before – but it seems that numerous other lawyers stopped representing him once they saw the evidence and learned the truth. Sadly, Mr. Oher has finally found a willing enabler and filed this ludicrous lawsuit as a cynical attempt to drum up attention in the middle of his latest book tour.

I was going to say that my spidery sense was telling me a lawyer largely invented this. 

Of course, lawyers invent every lawsuit to one degree or another. But something was just a bit off. 

[Trey3216 15345]

4 minutes ago, longhornmatt said:

If NCAA rules were supposedly the problem with paying him, it’s irrelevant whether the gift was below the yearly exemption for gift tax purposes.   The gift tax part just gets into whether it’s convenient for them to give him a gift of a share of the movie proceeds later on if they didn’t structure it initially to give him direct compensation.  “But I’d have to pay gift tax!” still isn’t a great response to why you didn’t give him his share, especially if you’re the conservator who structured the deal at the start and created that an issue.  

Besides if he had $200,000,000 at the time, then they were above the lifetime gift/estate tax threshold, so that horse had left the barn.  They’re going to pay estate tax, and I’d expect they have plenty of estate planning and trust funds.  It’s not like they couldn’t have rolled his share into that. 

The question is just whether they gave him his share or not.  If they did, then he’s a moron for trying a shakedown.

You’re not above the lifetime gift tax threshold until you’ve given more than the lifetime threshold.  You’re above the estate tax threshold, but that doesn’t circumvent the annual and lifetime thresholds until those are met 

[Deej 76755]

16 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

I was going to say that my spidery sense was telling me a lawyer largely invented this. 

Of course, lawyers invent every lawsuit to one degree or another. But something was just a bit off. 

Damnit. If we can't trust lawyers, who can we trust?

[Trey3216 15345]

3 minutes ago, longhornmatt said:

Yes, but (a) you can’t just not pay someone because you don’t like your tax consequences, and (b) they could make the gifts in trusts to defer the tax consequences, just like people defer the estate tax at death with trusts.  And they almost assuredly already have the vehicles set up if they’re that rich.

But the bottom line is it’s going to be easy to prove where the movie money went. If he’s making it up, he chose poorly on multiple levels.

No doubt.   They hadn’t sold the restaurant conglomerate at that juncture, so they were likely utilizing the combined gift transfer to the maximum on an annual basis in varying ways.  But adding another (legally) dependent into the mix also opens up a small window for things they already weren’t doing.   

[Jkwellborn 6691]

This is all Tim McGraw's fault.  

He was just living like he was dying.

[Brothahorn 10087]

"It kind of felt like a formality, as I’d been a part of the family for more than a year at that point. Since I was already over the age of eighteen and considered an adult by the state of Tennessee, Sean and Leigh Anne would be named as my “legal conservators.” They explained to me that it means pretty much the exact same thing as “adoptive parents,” but that the laws were just written in a way that took my age into account. Honestly, I didn’t care what it was called. I was just happy that no one could argue that we weren’t legally what we already knew was real: We were a family."

If his first book is true, then he knew he wasn't 'adopted' but was now legally part of the family.

Sad that they couldn't work this out in private. They all probably have more money than they are fighting over.

[TwiceHorn 31440]

8 minutes ago, Trey3216 said:

No doubt.   They hadn’t sold the restaurant conglomerate at that juncture, so they were likely utilizing the combined gift transfer to the maximum on an annual basis in varying ways.  But adding another (legally) dependent into the mix also opens up a small window for things they already weren’t doing.   

Of course, selling a bunch of franchises for $200M kinda tends to indicate those mfers were cashflowing pretty well, so it' not like they were poor before selling out.

1 minute ago, Brothahorn said:

"It kind of felt like a formality, as I’d been a part of the family for more than a year at that point. Since I was already over the age of eighteen and considered an adult by the state of Tennessee, Sean and Leigh Anne would be named as my “legal conservators.” They explained to me that it means pretty much the exact same thing as “adoptive parents,” but that the laws were just written in a way that took my age into account. Honestly, I didn’t care what it was called. I was just happy that no one could argue that we weren’t legally what we already knew was real: We were a family."

If his first book is true, then he knew he wasn't 'adopted' but was now legally part of the family.

Sad that they couldn't work this out in private. They all probably have more money than they are fighting over.

Oof, good find.  

Damn, he's startin to look pretty shitty all of a sudden.

[Texzilla58 4732]

He should get his ex-teammate Ray Lewis to stab them. 

Rays available but he still can’t find that white suit…

[Valmy77 13225]

Huh. And all this time I thought the whole thing was just a celebration of corrupt SEC recruiting violations so brazen it needed to immortalized in film.

I feel betrayed.

[Deej 76755]

The one recruiting violation aggy will never commit...adopting a black kid.

[texashorne 1177]

33 minutes ago, Deej said:

The one recruiting violation aggy will never commit...adopting a black kid.

Wrong. If it led to winning football games aggy would adopt cocaine bear

[TwiceHorn 31440]

2 hours ago, Wade said:

Family fighting back

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/nfl/article-12410317/Michael-Oher-demanded-15MILLION-Tuohy-family-petitioning-court-end-conservatorship-claims-allowed-adopted-parents-profit-Blind-says-lawyer.html

There may be some "artistic liberty" in that statement, but, since it's made by a lawyer, it's more highly likely that they have proof of what they say, especially the controversial parts.

Of course, you could say some of the same things about Oher's petition.  But as I pointed out, the use of "on information and belief" is a little bit curious.  For the laypeople that means "I'm not quite sure about this, so you can't say I'm lying when I say 'on information and belief."  And sometimes it actually covers "I'm fairly sure I'm lying, but you can't sanction me for it."

[Deej 76755]

7 minutes ago, texashorne said:

Wrong. If it led to winning football games aggy would adopt cocaine bear

They would need proof that he would win  first. Then they'd still credit the wins to some scrawny white kid. 

Just ask Mike Evans. 

Edited August 16, 2023 by Deej

[redswingline 1057]

2 hours ago, Evil Bill Obrien said:

Just appreciate the woman who looks kinda like a younger Sandra Bullock with the nice cans man...

So pretend that a woman is someone completely different?

Being married, I have been doing that for years.

[wild_turkey 3159]

TwiceHorn (or anyone else that knows), was the conservatorship structured in such a way that Oher had the legal ability to dissolve it on his own? Do we know if he ever made any attempt to do that?

[Deej 76755]

14 minutes ago, redswingline said:

So pretend that a woman is someone completely different?

Being married, I have been doing that for years.

[TwiceHorn 31440]

16 minutes ago, wild_turkey said:

TwiceHorn (or anyone else that knows), was the conservatorship structured in such a way that Oher had the legal ability to dissolve it on his own? Do we know if he ever made any attempt to do that?

The order is very skimpy in terms of what it provides. I linked it above. The only real specfic provisions relate to making health care decisions and the bit about requiring their consent to enter contracts. 

The rest of the conservatorship would presumably be governed by the TN statute, which I would think provides for the ward to seek termination, most do. So I think yes. Without having combed through the statute. 

It would also presumably impose on the tuohys the right and duty to care for him and provide for his needs, as well as to manage his financial and personal affairs. And that would include the fiduciary duty to put his interest ahead of their own. 

Edited August 16, 2023 by TwiceHorn

[TwiceHorn 31440]

For the record, almost any conservatorship in any state could at least potentially be dissolved at the ward's request. If the conservators agree, that's probably the end of it. 

If they don't, the ward would have to prove that the need for conservatorship no longer exists. In Britneys case that she is no longer batshit. 

So if her conservators hadn't agreed she'd probably still be in it because she's crazy as a shit house rat. 

Edited August 16, 2023 by TwiceHorn

[Frank Drebin 5660]

2 hours ago, Brothahorn said:

"It kind of felt like a formality, as I’d been a part of the family for more than a year at that point. Since I was already over the age of eighteen and considered an adult by the state of Tennessee, Sean and Leigh Anne would be named as my “legal conservators.” They explained to me that it means pretty much the exact same thing as “adoptive parents,” but that the laws were just written in a way that took my age into account. Honestly, I didn’t care what it was called. I was just happy that no one could argue that we weren’t legally what we already knew was real: We were a family."

If his first book is true, then he knew he wasn't 'adopted' but was now legally part of the family.

Sad that they couldn't work this out in private. They all probably have more money than they are fighting over.

That's from Oher's 2011 book, right?

I think Lewis' book said the same.  That he was not adopted.  But they were appointed his conservators.

 

[Evil Bill Obrien 3265]

45 minutes ago, texashorne said:

Wrong. If it led to winning football games aggy would adopt cocaine bear

Cocaine bear you say?

 

[wild_turkey 3159]

Like many others, my knee jerk reaction to this story was that the Tuohys probably screwed him over. That's the direction most of the headlines and articles were leaning, and I already had a vague impression that their original motives were to get a star football recruit to attend their alma mater, moreso than to genuinely help out a high school student with difficult life circumstances. So it was kinda easy not to like them, just from the general angle of rich Ole Miss boosters have shady dealings.

The more I read about it though, I'm struggling to understand what the Tuohys specific transgression was, at least regarding these new allegations, both from Oher and the media.

People seem up in arms about the conservatorship vs. adoption part. Why? Is this due to a perception that he didn't have financial independence or that they somehow exploited his finances? Is there any evidence of that? It seems Michael Oher has been aware of the conservatorship for a long time, so if it was problematic for him in any way, why didn't he dissolve it?

Do people have an emotional preference for a legal adoption because it sounds like they truly welcomed him into their family? According to that quote from Michael, which was supposedly many years ago, he knew about the conservatorship all along and it didn't matter because they felt like family. Why would it suddenly be offensive many years later?

Or is this all about him not receiving proceeds from The Blind Side? The counter from the Tuohys is claiming he did receive an equal cut, which should be a pretty easy thing to prove. Also, it seems we are talking about a grand total of less than $100k, which is peanuts compared to their fast food proceeds and his NFL earnings. If they didn't give him a cut, that's foolish for people in that financial situation. If they did give him an equal share, then what exactly is the problem? If this is all over <$100k, then both sides would be much better off squaring up privately. Someone is going to look pretty foolish when the dust settles.

[Beau Vine 54208]

1 hour ago, Deej said:

The one recruiting violation aggy will never commit...adopting a black kid.

[Beau Vine 54208]

59 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

There may be some "artistic liberty" in that statement, but, since it's made by a lawyer, it's more highly likely that they have proof of what they say

['stache 21797]

3 hours ago, oSuJeff97 said:

She looks like an amalgam of every middle-aged basic bitch from every suburb in the South. 

1000% there's every stupid "EAT PRAY LOVE", "GATHER", "HOME", etc., in their house along with a wall covered with about 100 stupid silver crosses.

She’s definitely asked to see the manager on multiple occasions.

[Helobious 9450]

Oher is looking like a dumbass early on.

On the flip side, it’s hilarious that people are naive enough to think Ole Miss boosters adopted/took in/whatevere’d a physically huge and athletically gifted black kid just out of the goodness of their heart. Book and movie were formulaic bullshit. 

[Deej 76755]

11 minutes ago, Helobious said:

Oher is looking like a dumbass early on.

On the flip side, it’s hilarious that people are naive enough to think Ole Miss boosters adopted/took in/whatevere’d a physically huge and athletically gifted black kid just out of the goodness of their heart. Book and movie were formulaic bullshit. 

Maybe he wore a black t-shirt and silver chain and won their hearts?

[TwiceHorn 31440]

51 minutes ago, wild_turkey said:

Like many others, my knee jerk reaction to this story was that the Tuohys probably screwed him over. That's the direction most of the headlines and articles were leaning, and I already had a vague impression that their original motives were to get a star football recruit to attend their alma mater, moreso than to genuinely help out a high school student with difficult life circumstances. So it was kinda easy not to like them, just from the general angle of rich Ole Miss boosters have shady dealings.

The more I read about it though, I'm struggling to understand what the Tuohys specific transgression was, at least regarding these new allegations, both from Oher and the media.

People seem up in arms about the conservatorship vs. adoption part. Why? Is this due to a perception that he didn't have financial independence or that they somehow exploited his finances? Is there any evidence of that? It seems Michael Oher has been aware of the conservatorship for a long time, so if it was problematic for him in any way, why didn't he dissolve it?

Do people have an emotional preference for a legal adoption because it sounds like they truly welcomed him into their family? According to that quote from Michael, which was supposedly many years ago, he knew about the conservatorship all along and it didn't matter because they felt like family. Why would it suddenly be offensive many years later?

Or is this all about him not receiving proceeds from The Blind Side? The counter from the Tuohys is claiming he did receive an equal cut, which should be a pretty easy thing to prove. Also, it seems we are talking about a grand total of less than $100k, which is peanuts compared to their fast food proceeds and his NFL earnings. If they didn't give him a cut, that's foolish for people in that financial situation. If they did give him an equal share, then what exactly is the problem? If this is all over <$100k, then both sides would be much better off squaring up privately. Someone is going to look pretty foolish when the dust settles.

Your reaction is fair.  The whole story started as reportage of Oher's lawsuit complaint, which inherently tells only one side of the story.  Plus media a) loves the drama b) doesn't so much love facts, or understand legal nuances.

As to conservatorship vs adoption:  A conservatorship is clearly not an adoption.  In many cases, particularly those involving a minor child, a conservatorship implies meeting their bare needs but without the lifelong commitment of parenthood that an adoption means or connotes.  In those cases, calling a "conservatorship" an "adoption" would be a fairly severe misnomer, and possibly misleading as to the ostensible adoptive parents' intentions.

In this particular instance, however, because Oher was already an adult, a conservatorship was the only practical way to achieve a parent-dependent child relationship. Dependent child being the key there.  Like most of us continued to be dependent on our parents post 18, that's the type of relationship that was created, legally, by this conservatorship.

There is such thing as an adult adoption.  But that does not change the status of the child as an adult:  he's free to do what the fuck ever and the parents have no obligation to support or do anything for him.  The dependent child aspect of conservatorship could not be obtained by an adult adoption.

It also appears that, because the Tuohys were Ole Miss boosters, there needed to be some legal familial relationship or it would be a recruiting violation (Here, we'll hook you up with these rich whiteys for your senior year and after if you just sign this LOI).

As to all the rest, it appears that Oher with the assistance of attorneys tried to cook up a sympathetic-sounding scheme based on half-truths to shame the Tuohys and maybe make them cough up some money, some of which may have been sketchily, if not unlawfully, obtained.

One legal aspect of the conservatorship that could be fruitful for Oher and his no-doubt contingent attorneys is the fact that the conservatorship made the Tuohys fiduciaries to Oher.  That means no self-dealing, obviously.  But the standards applied to fiduciaries can be so rigorous that a fiduciary violation can be accidental or inadvertent, and maybe they thought they could trip the Tuohys up on that.  Because there's a decent chance of that.

 It's a weird deal, maybe the lawyers thought there was some pot of gold at the end of this and filled him full of piss and vinegar over it.

 

Funny thing, this is kind of the nature of lawsuits, and trials in particular.  Each side gets to tell their story.  While you're listening to that side, you tend to believe and believe in their story.  Then the other side gets up and same.  It's kind of a whipsaw as facts are exposed and countered and then spun and counterspun.

Edited August 16, 2023 by TwiceHorn

[TwiceHorn 31440]

Ok finally it occurs to me why the conservatorship order may have included the right of the Tuohys to consent to any contracts, besides greed.

If during his recruitment or college career, he got snaked into an agent contract or one of the many other deals that we see dumb kids getting into that blows their eligibility, having the "parents" have the right to consent to any such deals would create an argument that any contract or deal entered into by Michael without their consent was void.

My whole suspicion of the Tuohys, going years back to when I read the book, was that their goal wasn't to exploit Michael beyond steering him to Ole Miss. So, that's not good, but it's not that bad either and not incompatible with actually caring about the kid.  Because I think they probably really did, and it's not like they locked him in the basement and fed him gruel except for football practice.

[CycleTex87 2967]

2 hours ago, texashorne said:

Wrong. If it led to winning football games aggy would adopt cocaine bear

You mean: aggy might win next year, or in the year 20___. 
 

as if aggy actually wins football games. 

[redswingline 1057]

4 hours ago, Wade said:

Family fighting back

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/nfl/article-12410317/Michael-Oher-demanded-15MILLION-Tuohy-family-petitioning-court-end-conservatorship-claims-allowed-adopted-parents-profit-Blind-says-lawyer.html

The link above has more info in it, compared to the story put up by espn

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38199104/tuohy-family-disputes-michael-oher-claims-alleges-shakedown-blind-side-subject

 

Several parts of this (mostly from the UK version) caught my eye

"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,' Singer said."  

"'Over the years, the Tuohys have given Mr. Oher an equal cut of every penny received from The Blind Side,' Singer said. "

"Singer did acknowledge that the Tuohys 'received a small advance from the production company and a tiny percentage of net profits' from the film, which they either shared with Oher or tried to share with him, according to the attorney."

"Oher is asking for the public to respect his privacy during his legal battle"

"For his career, Oher earned $34.5 million."

 

Some things come to mind:

- I wonder who leaked this filing to the media?

- What does "tried to share with him" mean, exactly?

- If you wanted privacy, why would you write a book on your life and file a lawsuit when that book is released?

- If he earned +$34 million in his NFL career, does this lawsuit mean he blew it all?

-What does "an equal cut" mean, exactly? Does each person in the family (so, 5 people including Michael) get a cut? Or is it Tuhys get half and Michael gets half? That aside, why wouldn't Michael get most if not all of it? He was the main subject of this film. I don't get why they would take any of it to be honest.

 

In closing, I love big naturals

[Texas Wahoo 3389]

https://x.com/edsbs/status/1691637894278988173?s=46&t=eJHk9B0xfuP0VGyqKCxp-g