Brad Pitt’s foundation sues architect over New Orleans homes
NEW ORLEANS — Actor Brad Pitt’s foundation has sued a New Orleans architect, saying defective design work led to leaks and other flaws in homes built for residents of an area that was among the hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday says damages caused by architect John C. Williams could cost Pitt’s Make It Right foundation more than $15 million, news outlets reported. The foundation paid Williams’ firm millions of dollars to produce architectural drawings for more than 100 homes under the program, which was supposed to provide Lower 9th Ward residents with sustainable and affordable new homes.
Enlisting award-winning architects, Pitt founded the venture two years after Katrina devastated the city and essentially washed away what would become the Make It Right enclave. Construction began in 2008, working toward replacing the lost housing with 150 avant-garde dwellings that were storm-safe, solar-powered, highly insulated and “green.” But water intrusion began cropping up in the first homes within a year of their completion and construction was discontinued in 2016.
The foundation says Williams was responsible for several failures to adequately waterproof the structures, including insufficiently sloped roofs. The lawsuit says Williams’ attempts at repairs were largely a failure and that he kept Make It Right management in the dark about the defects.