Residents have filed a lawsuit against #BradPitt’s #MakeItRightFoundation because they claim the houses his nonprofit built after #HurricaneKatrina are “substandard” and falling apart, according to @FoxNews.
#LloydFrancis and #JenniferDecuir are residents in #NewOrleans’ lower #NinthWard neighborhood. Their lawyer says they filed the lawsuit because they are stuck with homes that are “deteriorating at a rapid pace.”
“While the citizens of the Ninth Ward are grateful to Brad Pitt, they were forced to file this lawsuit because the Make it Right Foundation built substandard homes that are deteriorating at a rapid pace while the homeowners are stuck with mortgages on properties that have diminished values,” their lawyer Ron Austin said.
Brad founded the nonprofit in 2007 with the help of award-winning architects about two years after Katrina ravaged the city and washed away what the area where the homes he built currently stand.
The foundation began building the homes in 2008, constructing a total of 109 houses that provided residents the chance to return to the neighborhood they called home before the storm hit. The houses were initially touted as storm-safe, solar-powered and highly insulated.
But the nonprofit never met its goal of constructing 150 homes. The structures were also riddled with problems because they were built with “defective products,” according to the lawsuit.
Residents claim that they have been dealing with mold, rotting wood, poor air quality, as well as bad plumbing, and heating and electrical issues. Residents say the issues began as early as 2013, but they believed the foundation would make the necessary repairs.
According to the lawsuit, nonprofit officials gave homeowners a “packet” that included nondisclosure agreements that weren’t properly explained. The lawsuit claims the homeowners signed the agreements that would actually deprive them of important legal rights.
Brad and the foundation have not publicly commented on the lawsuit.
We’ll keep you updated on this one, #Roommates.
TSR STAFF: Christina C! @cdelafresh
