Michael Oher: Judge ends conservatorship for Blind Side family

A Tennessee judge has said she is ending the conservatorship of ex-NFL player Michael Oher, best known for the film based on his life, The Blind Side.

The agreement, reached in 2004, gave Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy legal control over Mr Oher's finances.

He was 18 years old and living with the Tuohys at the time of the agreement.

Judge Kathleen Gomes said she was disturbed that such an agreement was ever reached and that she "cannot believe it got done".

In Tennessee, a conservatorship takes away power from a person to make decisions for themselves and is often used in the case of a medical condition or disability.

Mr Oher's conservatorship was approved "despite the fact that he was over 18 years old and had no diagnosed physical or psychological disabilities", according to court documents.

Ms Gomes said she had never seen a conservatorship agreement reached with someone who was not disabled.

Her ruling on Friday does not end the legal feud between the Tuohys and Mr Oher.

Mr Oher has said he "received nothing" for theOscar-winning film based on his life. It earned more than $300m (£237m) at the global box office.

The former professional American football player, now 37, has also asked that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy hand over the financial accounting of the money they may have earned through the conservatorship.

Mr Oher alleges that they used his name, image and likeness to enrich themselves, which the Tuohy's deny.

In their court filings, they said they never signed any pro-football contracts for Mr Oher and that he was satisfied with their financial arrangements from The Blind Side.

The family has called Mr Oher's allegations that they enriched themselves at his expense "absurd" and part of a "shakedown" by Mr Oher.

In August, he filed a petition and accused the Tuohys of lying to him by having him sign the conservatorship when he thought he was signing papers to make them his adoptive parents.

The Tuohy family has said that signing the conservatorship was the only way they could get the star football athlete into college.

The Blind Side's release coincided with Mr Oher's start in the National Football League, where he played eight seasons, most prominently with the Baltimore Ravens.

The film earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture and won Sandra Bullock, in the role of Leigh Anne Tuohy, her only Academy Award.