It’s been nearly two decades since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, but Brad Pitt is only now settling a lawsuit related to the natural disaster. The actor has agreed to pay $20.5 million to Katrina victims after being accused of building faulty homes.
Brad originally started the Make It Right Foundation in 2007 following the hurricane to help rebuild houses in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward.
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But over a decade after it was established, Make It Right was sued for selling houses made from “defective materials.” The 2018 lawsuit claimed this led to structural problems, inadequate ventilation and mold, and electrical and plumbing issues.
Earlier this year, a report said that only 6 of the 109 homes originally built by Make It Right are still in “good shape,” with others now uninhabitable. Most of the homes were sold for $150,000.
“I made a promise to the folks of the Lower Ninth to help them rebuild — it is a promise I intend to keep,” Brad stated at the time in response to the lawsuit.
The following month, Make It Right launched a lawsuit against its former architect, arguing his designs were defective and failed to be waterproof.
While the case against the architect remains ongoing, Brad’s company has settled the lawsuit launched against them – and they didn’t come out on the winning side. Make It Right has agreed to a $20.5 million settlement. They’ll also be partnering with Global Green, an environmental non-profit, to correct the defective work in the already built home.
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“I am incredibly grateful for Global Green’s willingness to step up and provide this important support for the Lower Ninth families,” Brad said in a press release about the settlement.
“We collaborated in the early days post-Katrina,” the actor continued. “And we are very fortunate to have Global Green’s generous continuing commitment to help address the challenges around these homes and others in need.”
Brad may be putting one lawsuit behind him, but he’s still embroiled in a legal battle with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie. After she sold her stake in their French winery to Russian businessman Yuri Shefler last year, Brad sued her for trying to ruin his reputation.
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“Jolie consummated the purported sale without Pitt’s knowledge, denying Pitt the consent right she owed him and the right of first refusal her business entity owed his,” court documents revealed earlier this year.
“Jolie has sought to force Pitt into partnership with a stranger, and worse yet, a stranger with poisonous associations and intentions,” they continued. The case is ongoing.
Sources: NBC News, The Conversation, Us Weekly,
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