BILLION DOLLAR BATTLE EXPLODES
THE ACTOR HAS BORROWED THOUSANDS FROM HIS EX
There’s still no word over whether they’ve finalised their divorce settlement and now it’s been revealed that Brad Pitt borrowed nearly half a million dollars from Angelina Jolie.
Last week new financial documents revealed that Brad’s Make It Right charity received a substantial loan from his ex-wife Angelina to help fund lawsuits it’s facing over building defective homes for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Now it’s feared Brad could lose his entire fortune as a result of continued legal and money problems.
The Oscar winner, who’s worth around $US100 million, faces crippling costs from a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of residents who claim to have suffered illnesses and infrastructural issues to their properties.
Brad’s charity built 100 homes in a part of New Orleans particularly affected by the 2005 hurricane but many were soon uninhabitable due to defective building materials.
The Maddox Jolie-pitt Foundation (MJP) – which was set up in 2003 by Angelina Jolie to help people in Cambodia – loaned Make It Right $US500,00 according to the latest tax form filed by MJP.
The papers state that Angelina’s charity gave a half-a-million dollar “zerointerest loan to a public charity to help fund costs in connection with the pursuit of legal actions related to construction deficits in homes built for communities”, revealed to be Make It Right.
Angelina also gave $US4.36 million from 2007 to 2009 to Brad’s charity to help people who saw their houses destroyed by the hurricane, according to its tax returns for that period.
While the Maddox Jolie-pitt Foundation still has Brad’s name, he hasn’t contributed a cent since the couple split up in 2016. The last two years of tax returns state that Jolie has pumped in over $US7.5 million.
Now home-owners are seeking upwards of $US50 million and there’s concern other residents could follow with their own lawsuits. As well as complaining that the houses have leaky roofs and rotting walls, residents claim toxic mould developed causing them to suffer from multiple health problems. The family of Trudy Green claim this played a major part in her January 2018 death and have called on Brad and his charity to take responsibility.
In October 2019, a judge refused Brad’s lawyers’ petition to have the actor removed from the lawsuit. But while Brad reportedly left the board of the charity, as of last September, a representative told NBC News that he was still working with the foundation to help repair damaged homes. And there is a possibility he could be held fully responsible if the charity loses the case.
Possibly making matters worse for Brad, Make It Right’s insurance company is reportedly refusing to provide cover if the charity loses the lawsuit. This could mean Brad may be forced to pay out from his personal fortune. In turn it’s thought this could affect the terms of Angelina and Brad’s final divorce settlement.