A Haitian-American organization has filed a class-action lawsuit against the American Red Cross (ARC), the International Red Cross and their affiliates, accusing them of exploiting Haiti’s poverty to raise over $500 million for disaster relief, only to mismanage or misappropriate the funds.
The lawsuit, filed on Nov. 25 in the U.S. District Court for Southern Florida, alleges that funds raised after the 2010 earthquake and subsequent disasters were “diverted for personal gain and administrative overhead” rather than used to assist the Haitian people.
The Haitian Diaspora Political Action Committee, along with individual plaintiffs — including Frantz St. Fort, whose wife previously served as director of the Haitian Red Cross — claims the Red Cross exploited the devastation of Haiti’s natural disasters to solicit donations. The lawsuit further argues that the charity failed to fulfill promises of rebuilding homes, schools and hospitals, leaving Haitians to continue suffering from hunger, poverty, and diseases.
“The Red Cross is a powerful international non-profit organization with offices worldwide,” the suit said. “The defendants have leveraged this power and influence to exploit and abuse the trust placed in them by the public. Haiti is just one of many poor countries the Defendants have routinely exploited for personal gain.”
The lawsuit details that from 2010 to 2024, the Red Cross raised more than $500 million for Haiti yet failed to provide the promised aid. One of the primary examples cited is a $13 million water and sanitation project that the plaintiffs argue was poorly managed, leaving communities without access to clean water. Instead of addressing the water crisis, the Red Cross launched a “hand-washing education campaign,” which was criticized as ineffective without proper water and sanitation infrastructure.
The lawsuit also alleges that the Red Cross generated donations using images of Haiti’s devastation but misallocated those funds, spending them on executive salaries rather than on recovery efforts.
Reporting by The Miami Herald says that the Red Cross has denied the allegations and defends its relief efforts. A spokesperson told the Herald that the organization is “proud” of its response to the 2010 earthquake, noting that funds raised were placed in a restricted account for Haiti and used exclusively for disaster relief, including housing, cholera prevention and health services. The Red Cross emphasized its work with over 50 partners, claiming it reached 4.5 million Haitians through its recovery programs. The organization also pointed to detailed financial reports available on its website.
The plaintiffs seek over $750 million in compensatory damages and an additional $250 million in punitive damages. They are also demanding a full accounting of the funds raised for Haiti. The lawsuit is designed to represent at least two million people in Haiti and the United States affected by the disasters, as well as thousands of donors who contributed to the Haiti relief efforts.
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