BRAD Pitt and his housing charity have been forced to hand over 100,000 sensitive documents in their bitter seven-year legal fight with angry homeowners.
Victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans – who allegedly had faulty homes built by Brad’s Make It Right Foundation – are suing the actor personally and his nonprofit in a class action lawsuit.
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The homeowners’ legal team, Ron Austin Law, has scored a huge victory through the district court for Make It Right to hand over vital docs at the discovery stage.
The U.S. Sun can also reveal that Brad, 61, had been trying to block having to face deposition, moaning that it clashed with his busy movie schedule.
Brad was named on Ron Austin’s witness list – but his legal team filed a motion for him to avoid being deposed, claiming he had no information to offer that would be relevant.
His lawyers claimed in filings, “Mr Pitt’s motion picture production schedule presents concerns that extend beyond his personal time and attention.
“Most notably, Mr Pitt’s absence from film production in the event of a deposition could cause major scheduling issues with potential legal and financial consequences for the studio.
“In addition, it is likely Mr Pitt will be on location in Europe over the next several months, meaning that any in-person deposition will involve costly and time-consuming travel.”
This motion was filed in April last year but hasn’t been published by a news organization before.
The judge decreed this motion to be moot in June, as the discovery process had yet to be finished and is still ongoing.
Make It Right lawyers had demanded more time to review the foundation’s documents and computers.
They included “approximately 195 boxes, 13 filing cabinets, the IT server, and 13 desktops and laptops. These contents fill three rooms,” according to court docs seen by The U.S. Sun.
Now, we can disclose that Ron Austin Law was reportedly given 70,000 documents, plus a further 30,000 pages of financial information by the defendants.
Ron Austin Law is now seeking to engage forensic accountants – and has already hired architectural and engineering experts to help with their case.
There is set to be a status conference next month with the legal war grinding on with no realistic end in sight.
AMBITIOUS PROJECT
Brad’s nonprofit built 109 houses in the deprived Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans after it was decimated by Hurricane Katrina.
The charity was meant to be the savior for those who lost everything in the city’s poorest area in 2005.
Yet, according to the suit, many of the houses weren’t fit for purpose, and the homeowners have been battling for years to make the foundation responsible for major repairs.
The foundation is accused of making a mess of its ambitious building project, which was “deficiently constructed” with “defective products”, according to the suit.
It was initially filed by two residents in 2018, Lloyd Francis and Jennifer Decuir, and has since moved to federal court, with the organization accused of fraud, breach of contract, and unfair trade practices.
Locals have complained of “toxic mold and high CO2 levels” in the past, which are said to have caused health issues.
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‘BRAD NOT OFF THE HOOK’
A lawyer close to the litigation previously told The U.S. Sun, “This is obviously a very difficult situation for anyone whose home was impacted by this.
“This very sad story has been told several times, so hopefully current litigation will hold the people who managed this project responsible.”
A judge previously denied Brad’s request to remove himself as a defendant in the lawsuit – meaning he could still be potentially liable for damages.
In the last few years, Make It Right has been non-existent in the area, as its city and Lower Ninth offices closed down years ago, all communication lines are dead, and they’ve become invisible to residents.
In 2022, it seemed the lawsuit had reached a conclusion when the celeb-backed eco-charity Global Green agreed to pay a $20.5 million settlement on behalf of Make It Right and Brad.
That pledge fell apart, as it was discovered Global Green never had that sort of money and was banking on Brad to be the figurehead of a major fundraising campaign for the settlement – but he denied ever agreeing to this.
A spokesperson for Brad told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement in 2023, “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.
“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.
“It was incredibly surprising for the plaintiffs, the defendants, and their counsel to learn that the funds Global Green claimed multiple times were secured had not in fact been committed or raised.
“It was equally disappointing to discover payment was not made, though the settlement agreement was specifically negotiated to ensure that litigation would continue without prejudice to any parties if the settlement were to fail.”
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