Quote:In a lawsuit filed last Friday, homeowners said Pitt and his organization Make It Right engaged in unfair trade practices, deception, fraud and negligence.

"This lawsuit is about making Make It Right make it right," Ron Austin, a lawyer representing the homeowners, told NPR. "Essentially, these people are paying mortgages on homes that are rotting away, have little to no resale value and it's questionable whether or not some of them are inhabitable."

The houses were devised to be sustainable, storm-safe and vibrant — a "healthy home" for a community that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

But the lawsuit contends that many people's homes are riddled with problems, including rotten wood, faulty HVACs, bad electrical and plumbing systems, mold infestations and poor construction methods.

"There are 109 houses and we have yet to find anybody who is not having some sort of a problem," Austin said.

Make It Right did not notify residents or change course when staff became aware that defective materials were being used to construct the dwellings, the lawsuit alleges. Calls for repairs went largely ignored, and engineering inspection reports in 2016, 2017 and 2018 that would have provided homeowners insights into their properties were not turned over, it says.

Instead, occupants were asked by staff to sign nondisclosure, arbitration and assignment of rights agreements that waived their ability to speak out and hold the foundation accountable, Austin said. "The promise was, 'We'll get out there and start fixing stuff but before we come, you have to sign these documents.' "

He went on to say that many homeowners signed the papers in duress, as they worried that repairs would not be addressed if they didn't sign. "It wasn't a choice," he said.

(09-16-2018 06:15 PM)banker Wrote:  Yeah, I can't blame Pitt for this. He most likely just lent his name, some money and a few appearances and left construction to the organization. They are the ones to blame if corners were cut. My guess is a lot of the funds intended for housing were embezzled. That's why they went cheap and only built 109 of the 175 intended houses.

(09-16-2018 05:01 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  You left out the last two paragraphs of the story.

Pitt's heart was in the right place, the attorneys said, and the community is still grateful for his help. After all, people used to wear "Brad Pitt for mayor" shirts.

"I refuse to blame Brad Pitt," resident LilJose Marie Tompkins told The New Orleans Advocate. "He's not a builder. He's an actor. All he knew was that he wanted to do good. This man tried to do good."

(09-16-2018 06:21 PM)WoodlandsOwl Wrote:  

(09-16-2018 06:15 PM)banker Wrote:  Yeah, I can't blame Pitt for this. He most likely just lent his name, some money and a few appearances and left construction to the organization. They are the ones to blame if corners were cut. My guess is a lot of the funds intended for housing were embezzled. That's why they went cheap and only built 109 of the 175 intended houses.

In New Orleans "embezzlement" is an ordinary part of doing business. Someone always has their hand out expecting a bribe to issue a permit, pass an inspection, etc.

(09-16-2018 06:15 PM)banker Wrote:  Yeah, I can't blame Pitt for this. He most likely just lent his name, some money and a few appearances and left construction to the organization. They are the ones to blame if corners were cut. My guess is a lot of the funds intended for housing were embezzled. That's why they went cheap and only built 109 of the 175 intended houses.

(09-16-2018 06:29 PM)450bench Wrote:  I can't see any blame belonging to Pitt in this situation.