Victims of 2005 Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans are taking legal action against actor Brad Pitt and his nonprofit organisation, the Make It Right Foundation, over allegedly defective homes built in the aftermath of the disaster. Represented by Ron Austin Law, the homeowners recently secured a significant court victory, compelling the foundation to release key documents during the lawsuit’s discovery phase.
According to reports, Pitt has been attempting to avoid being deposed in the class action lawsuit, citing conflicts with his demanding film schedule. Despite being named as a witness by Ron Austin’s legal team, Pitt’s attorneys filed a motion seeking exemption from testifying.
Make It Right’s legal team has requested additional time to review the foundation’s records, which reportedly include “approximately 195 boxes, 13 filing cabinets, the IT server and 13 desktops and laptops. These contents fill three rooms,” The US Sun reported.
Ron Austin Law has already received a vast amount of evidence, including 70,000 documents and an additional 30,000 pages of financial records from the defendants. To bolster their case, the legal team is now enlisting forensic accountants alongside architectural and engineering experts.
Here’s what happened
Brad Pitt’s nonprofit built 109 homes in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward, an area devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The cluster of homes were built between 2008 and 2015. The initiative aimed to provide a fresh start for those who had lost everything in the city’s poorest neighborhood in 2005.
However, the lawsuit alleges that many of these homes were structurally flawed and unfit for living, leaving homeowners in a long-standing battle to hold the foundation accountable for extensive repairs.
In 2022, it appeared that a resolution was in sight when Global Green, an eco-charity backed by celebrities, stepped in with a $20.5 million settlement on behalf of Make It Right and Pitt.
That deal, however, collapsed when it was revealed that Global Green lacked the necessary funds. Instead, they had been relying on Pitt to spearhead a major fundraising campaign to cover the settlement, something the actor denies ever agreeing to.
