Actor Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation built more than 100 energy-efficient, modern homes in the storm-ravaged Lower Ninth Ward after Hurricane Katrina. But some of the wood used is beginning to rot. Source: WWLTV
The foundation has filed a lawsuit against the wood manufacturer, Timber Treatment Technologies (TTT).
The group says TTT claimed its glass-infused wood boards were, “an effective permanent barrier… to rot, decay and common wood problems.”
The lawsuit claims the company refused to replace the defective wood or pay the cost of repairs and reconstruction.
“This action presents an egregious example of a manufacturer’s repeated misrepresentations, breaches of warranty and knowing deceptions,” the suit stated.
Vanessa Rogers, who lives on Tennessee Street in the Lower Ninth Ward, said her front stairs and decking had to be rebuilt because of the faulty wood.
“A lot of it got rotten really fast,” she said. “It got so bad, I fell down the stairs.”
The floorboards under Rogers’ home are also decaying.
“I have all around the bottom that has to be replaced,” Rogers said.
“All the back porch and the deck’s got to be replaced, up and down. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done because of the kind of wood it is. It’s really bad.”
Neighbors say nearly 10 years after Hurricane Katrina, thanks to the Make It Right Foundation, they finally feel home again.
Make It Right is seeking more than US$500,000 in damages.
