The nonprofit that bailed out Brad Pitt‘s foundation for more than $20million owed to Hurricane Katrina victims still hasn’t paid up after new homes backed by the actor fell into ruins.
The 59-year-old actor’s organization Make It Right built more than 100 homes in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. But the victims sued, alleging that the homes were poorly built after giving way to rot, mold and structural defects.
Global Green, who previously worked with Pitt, agreed to pay $20.5million in an August 2022 settlement with the Bullet Train actor’s foundation. However, CEO Bill Bridges claimed the nonprofit was told it would not have to follow the tight 10-day deadline.
When Global Green was unable to come up with funds, it attempted to back out of the agreement, blaming Pitt’s ex-wife Angelina Jolie‘s abuse lawsuit against him as reason why it was unable to raise funds. However, the company was unsuccessful and has been ordered to pay back $10million in two months and the other $10.5million will be re-evaluated.
Global Green also faces a contempt hearing on October 2 after the judge lost confidence in the organization’s intervention, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Brad Pitt’s organization Make It Right poorly built more than 100 homes in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina that are now in desperate need or repairs after the structures were determined to be defective and moldy
In August 2022, Global Green agreed to pay the $20.5million settlement with Pitt’s organization to bail them out, despite not having the money. Global Green CEO Bill Bridges (pictured) said the organization was told it would not have to follow the tight 10-day deadline of forking over the money and accused the actor’s messy past as to why it struggled to raise funds
Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation has left victims in a ‘long nightmare’ as their homes waste away and are in desperate need of repairs.
‘My mother, she’s never seen the end of the tunnel from Katrina,’ Albert Matthews told the Hollywood Reporter. ‘It’s been very stressful for all of us.’
Matthews’ mother Marion Bryan, who is 91, has been patiently waiting for her new home since 2008, when she put the initial deposit down. Although the foundation built her a home, and then a second one, and then a third – all of which were deemed to have serious problems – she is still waiting on them to repair her third property, which was built in 2014.
In the meantime, she has been living with her son – a lucky disposition, as many other victims have been forced to live in substandard conditions while they wait for the repairs.
In 2018, Make It Right faced a class-action lawsuit after 109 homes were determined to have been built poorly, were rotting and molding, and suffered from structural damage.
In August 2022, Global Green announced it would pay the $20.5million, which Pitt celebrate, telling TMZ at the time: ‘Hopefully this agreement will allow everyone to look ahead to other opportunities to continue to strengthen this proud community in the future.’
However, shortly after the announcement, Global Green attempted to back out of the agreement as it did not have the money to pay that amount and they blamed Pitt’s lawsuit.
Pitt’s team denies that his reputation had anything to do with Global Green inability to fundraise and that the nonprofit is solely responsible to keep the promise it made to the victims.
‘Brad had supported Global Green many years ago, so when they approached his team stating “$20.5M in funding” had been secured by their “generous donors,” there was interest in considering their proposal,’ a spokesperson for the Fight Club actor told the Reporter.
In 2018, Make It Right faced a class-action lawsuit after 109 homes were determined to have been built poorly, were rotting and molding, and suffered from structural damage
Several families have been displaced due to the damage and are patiently waiting for repairs
Global Green has been ordered to pay $10million toward repairs in two months
‘Global Green represented themselves as having already obtained these funds and planned to use them toward resolving all claims in the ongoing lawsuit for the benefit of the homeowners.’
However, Bridge said Pitt’s team brought the nonprofit into the ‘snake pit’ and said it had attempted to raise the funds.
‘Global Green was willing to make every effort to raise the funds, but when it wasn’t fast enough or to the level those parties required, Global Green became the scapegoat for what essentially has been the failure of the parties to resolve the matter,’ Bridge told the Reporter via email.
When Pitt started the foundation, the goal was to built a 150 homes, but he admitted to a local outlet in 2015 that he and his team went into the project ‘incredibly naïve.’
‘Just thinking we can build homes — how hard is that? — and not understanding forgivable loan structures and family financial counseling and getting the rights to lots and HUD grants and so on and so forth. So it’s been a big learning curve.’
Four after Pitt’s company was sued, the judge approved Global Green’s settlement.
Bridge had approached Pitt’s team last year to offer help, but insisted the nonprofit never indicated that there was ‘any guarantee or financial commitment at that stage of the conversation and that further due diligence, discussions, and actions requiring Mr. Pitt’s involvement would be needed.’
The Blonde actor’s team also asserted the Moneyball actor has given $6million of his own money to Make It Right since it began
‘Global Green repeatedly told Mr. Pitt’s associates that it would be unable to raise those funds as quickly as was being demanded by the defendants and plaintiffs in the settlement agreement, and we were essentially told not to worry about that element, which was just a formality to get the agreement signed so that the fundraising project could move forward,’ Bridge told the Reporter.
‘On multiple occasions I was personally reassured, as was our then-board chair, ‘not to worry’ about the terms and conditions of the actual agreement we were signing with the parties involved, and to ‘just sign it’ so we could start the process of raising money.
‘We did so reluctantly, but again in good faith with the assurance by the parties involved that we would not have to meet the 10-day condition in the agreement, to which we had objected.’
Pitt’s team denies this.
The Blonde actor’s team also asserted the Moneyball actor has given $6million of his own money to Make It Right since it began.
‘Brad has dedicated significant time and resources over the past 15 years to supporting residents of the Lower Ninth as they recover from Hurricane Katrina. We are hopeful that Global Green will find a way to honor their commitment before the contempt hearing in October, and that these homeowners can receive the support they need,’ a representative said.
