Brad Pitt Suffers Setback In Legal Battle With Hurricane Katrina Victims

Brad Pitt has suffered a legal blow in an ongoing suit filed against him by some of the victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

The actor had built homes for these individuals in the wake of the natural disaster, but the homes reportedly developed dangerous mold, leading to the class action they filed.

Now, the legal team for these victims has won a motion to obtain vital documents during the discovery stage.

It has also been revealed that Brad Pitt had tried to block having to face deposition, claiming it was impossible due to his filming schedule.

The legal team for some victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans has been granted their request for vital documents from Brad Pitt and his Make It Right Foundation in an ongoing $20.5 million lawsuit.

The victims had sued the Hollywood actor and his nonprofit in a class action some years back, arguing that he built defective houses for them in the wake of the natural disaster.

Pitt had spent $12 million through his Make It Right Project to build these homes, which were designed to be ecologically sustainable.

However, most of the homes have since been overcome by mold and other significant issues that have immensely affected some of the owners.

In the meantime, it remains unclear what the exact documents are, but there are reportedly over 70,000 documents plus 30,000 pages of financial information.

The homeowners’ legal team is now seeking to hire forensic accountants to review these documents ahead of an eventual trial.

As part of the recent revelations, it became known that Pitt had tried to avoid being deposed.

The actor’s lawyers had claimed that he had no relevant information to give and that his schedule wouldn’t allow him.

“Mr Pitt’s motion picture production schedule presents concerns that extend beyond his personal time and attention,” the “F1” star’s lawyers claimed in filings per The US Sun.

“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.”

Pitt’s attorneys also argued that an in-person deposition will be costly to the actor if he is forced to appear.

“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,” they added.

Although this information about the motion only recently came to light, it was actually filed in April last year.

However, back in June, the presiding judge ruled the motion moot, as the discovery process had yet to be completed.

Next up in the lawsuit is a status conference scheduled to take place in the coming month.

The conference will likely determine a date for the trial and outline the progress of the case.

The legal battle has dragged on to this point after a proposed settlement agreement between the parties collapsed in 2022.

At the time, celeb-backed eco-charity Global Green agreed to pay a $20.5 million settlement on behalf of Pitt and his charity organization, but reports later revealed that the intended donors never had such an amount of money.

“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,” Pitt’s rep told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement in 2023.

In the statement, the rep also claimed that “Global Green represented themselves as having already obtained these funds” and also promised Pitt that they intended to use it to resolve “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,” the rep further remarked.

Besides his legal battle with the Hurricane Katrina victims, Pitt still has other legal troubles in his life, particularly his legal feud with his ex-wife, Angelina Jolie, over their Chateau Miraval winery.

However, the former Hollywood power couple finally settled their divorce after eight years, as seen in documents filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court on December 30.

Although financial records were not disclosed in the documents, the Daily Mail reported that Jolie walked away $80 million richer after dragging Pitt “through the ringer” throughout the lengthy court battle.

The movie stars exes are said to be relieved that to have finally ended their divorce, although they still have more legal battles ahead due to their business dispute.