Free pass

I’m glad the trade magazine wrote the 50,000 word article taking apart the charity of the A+/A list actor.

That being said, the good deed the actor did for the 100+ year old guy was talked about much more this week than the charity story will be.

Our actor always gets a free pass.

The Hollywood Reporter

Brad Pitt
Make It Right Foundation

Brad Pitt and the Bizarre Charity Mess That’s Left Katrina Victims Stranded Again

Owners of faulty homes built by the star’s Make It Right Foundation in New Orleans were relieved when charity Global Green promised $20.5 million for repairs. The only problem: It never had the money.

For the impacted homeowners of New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward, the August 2022 announcement that they were one step closer to being made whole — with relief coming in the form of a $20.5 million settlement — was long past due.

Hurricane Katrina made landfall 17 years earlier, devastating their neighborhood. But that was just the opening chapter of their misfortune. Their homes had been rebuilt, only to give way to rot, mold and structural defects. Their 2018 class-action lawsuit seeking damages against their original benefactors, the Make It Right Foundation and its leading man, Brad Pitt, languished in Orleans Parish court for years as their properties decayed.

“This has been one long nightmare,” says Albert Matthews, noting that his 91-year-old mother, Marion Bryan, paid the initial deposit on her new house in 2008. He says the residence became so badly compromised that Make It Right built a second one, which also had serious problems. So too, he claims, did a third, constructed by the organization in 2014. Unlike many residents, who were forced to live in substandard conditions, Bryan has stayed with her son. “It’s been very stressful for all of us,” he says. “My mother, she’s never seen the end of the tunnel from Katrina.”

In the summer of 2022, Global Green USA — another charity with Hollywood connections and a track record of helping rebuild in the region — had announced it would step up to pay and administer the $20.5 million, imminently disbursing the funds. “Hopefully this agreement will allow everyone to look ahead to other opportunities to continue to strengthen this proud community in the future,” Pitt told TMZ, as media outlets spread the welcome news.

But The Hollywood Reporter has learned that the deal has since imploded amid recrimination. History has repeated in the Lower Ninth Ward — and yet another well-intentioned and highly publicized plan for these residents has resulted in failure.

According to previously unreported case files, soon after the pact was announced, Global Green attempted to renege, revealing that despite signing on to the court-approved agreement that stipulated all funding would be provided within 10 days, it never had the money to cover its commitment. Furthermore, the nonprofit, which wasn’t required to show the court it was financially sound, asserted it could not effectively fundraise because Pitt’s ex-wife Angelina Jolie had, in unrelated court proceedings, then recently accused the actor of abusing her and their children.

“I’ve never seen a situation like this, where there was a settlement that fell through because it was an insolvent party that proposed it,” marvels Louisiana State University law professor William R. Corbett, an expert in civil procedure.

Pitt’s team rejects any notion that the actor or his reputation are at all to blame for what’s transpired, contending that Global Green is solely responsible for making a promise it didn’t keep. “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,” a Pitt spokesperson at Hiltzik Strategies responded to THR in a written statement. “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.” The representative added, “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.” – Source

Brad Pitt let 105-year-old neighbor live rent-free on his former LA estate

Once Upon a Time… in Los Feliz.

Brad Pitt allegedly let a widowed man live on his former sprawling LA estate rent-free.

According to “Elvira” actress Cassandra Peterson – who Pitt bought the 1.9-acre Los Feliz, Calif., property from in 1994 – the actor allowed the man to take up residence until his death at 105 years old.

“He was very, very kind to the husband,” Peterson said of the “Fight Club” star in a new interview with People.

“[This man’s] wife passed away and the husband, John, lived there. I know that Brad allowed him to live there without paying anything until he died.”

Peterson said the unlikely arrangement came about after Pitt — who lived in the home with ex-wife Angelina Jolie and their six children — slowly began buying up neighboring properties when they hit the market.

“I think there were like 22 houses that were contiguous to the edge of the property,” the actress, 71, shared. “And every time they came up, he bought one.”

One of the properties eyed by Pitt, 59, was originally owned by the elderly man when he was in his early nineties.

Once the house hit the market, the actor allegedly struck a deal to let the widower continue to live in the home – rent-free – upon Pitt making the purchase.

Noting the man’s triple-digit lifespan, Peterson joked that it felt like he “just kept living forever.” – Source