Brad Pitt Foundation sued after Katrina disaster



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Two residents of Louisiana have filed a lawsuit against Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation, claiming that the actor's non-profit homes built after Hurricane Katrina "that do not meet the standards" are rotting and s & # 39; collapse.

Lloyd Francis and Jennifer Decuir, residents of Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, were forced to file a complaint because they were stuck in homes that "are deteriorating rapidly," their lawyer Ron Austin told NOLA. com.

"Although the citizens of the ninth hall are grateful to Brad Pitt, they have been forced to file this complaint because the Make it Right Foundation has built unhealthy homes that are deteriorating at a rapid pace while homeowners," said Austin.

August 23, 2015, Make it Right Homs to Brad Pitts, Real Estate Project Make it Right in New Orleans Lower 9th Ward, ten years after Hurricane Katrina. (Photo by Julie Dermansky / Corbis via Getty Images)

A photo of 2015 shows houses built by Make It Right, equipped with solar panels.

(Getty Images)

Pitt founded the company in 2007 with the help of award winning architects two years after Katrina devastated the city and essentially took away what was to become the Make It Right enclave.

The foundation began building homes in 2008 and eventually erected 109 homes, allowing residents to return to their original neighborhood before the storm hits. The avant-garde homes have been rented as safe storm, solar powered, very isolated and "green".

The nonprofit however has never achieved its goal of building 150 homes. The structures were also riddled with problems as they were "badly built and built" with "defective products," the lawsuit said.

According to locals, residents had to deal with mold, rotten wood, poor air quality, plumbing, heating and electricity.

New Orleans, LA - August 24: New homes, many with solar panels built by the Make it Right Foundation, are mixed with old homes and vacant lots in the Lower Ninth Ward on August 24, 2015 in New Orleans, in Louisiana. The area was one of the most devastated areas of the city after a breach along the industrial channel after Hurricane Katrina. The nineteenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which killed at least 1,836 people and is considered the most expensive natural disaster in US history, is August 29th. (Photo by Mario Tama / Getty Images)

In 2015, a photo shows new homes, most with solar panels built by the Make it Right Foundation, mixed with old homes and vacant lots in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, Louisiana.

(Getty Images)

"Where is Mr. Pitt?" Neighbor Doris Wyman told NOLA.com. "I wonder, if he saw this house, what would be the first words of his mouth?"

THE BRAD PITT FOUNDATION FIGHT AGAINST THE DEGRADATION OF THE NEW ORLEANS HOUSES

Residents said in the lawsuit that the problems had started in 2013, but they thought the foundation would "succeed" in repairing and repairing. The non-profit organization then gave the owners a "package" including confidentiality agreements that were not properly explained. The owners have signed "agreements that would deprive the owners of important legal rights while the owners are under duress," said the prosecution.

Pitt and the foundation have not publicly addressed the lawsuit.

A source told People that Pitt trusted the foundation team and that "repairs started months ago."

"Brad trusts the Make It Right team; he has made a promise to the people below the ninth and he intends to continue to flourish and continue to pay money, as he has been all the time, "said the source. magazine.

The lawsuit comes as Pitt continues his highly publicized custody battle against ex-Angelina Jolie about their six children. Pitt is also filming Quentin Tarantino's movie "Once upon a time in Hollywood".

Katherine Lam is a digital news producer for Fox News. Follow her on Twitter at @bykatherinelam

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