A collective of Haitian Americans has filed a federal class-action lawsuit against the American Red Cross, the International Red Cross, and related organizations, alleging widespread mismanagement and misuse of funds raised for Haiti following the devastating 2010 earthquake.

The suit, filed on Monday (Nov. 25) in the U.S. District Court for Southern Florida, represents the Haitian Diaspora Political Action Committee and individual Haitian-American plaintiffs, including Frantz St. Fort, the husband of a former director of the Haitian Red Cross in Port-au-Prince.

According to a report from the Miami Herald, the lawsuit accuses the charities of exploiting Haiti’s poverty and disasters for financial gain, claiming that Red Cross affiliates raised over half a billion dollars in the name of humanitarian aid but failed to deliver the promised relief.

The complaint further alleges that funds collected after subsequent disasters in 2016, 2018, 2021, and 2023 were similarly misappropriated, benefiting leadership teams rather than aiding victims.

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The Red Cross denies the allegations, emphasizing its decade-long efforts, which it says reached 4.5 million Haitians through housing, economic recovery, and health initiatives.

On the 10th anniversary of the earthquake, a report from the outlet highlighted findings from an investigation led by the late Dr. Paul Farmer, former special adviser to the United Nations secretary general, which revealed that less than two-thirds of the billions of dollars in aid pledged to Haiti during the first two years following the disaster had been disbursed.

Broader international aid to Haiti has also faced scrutiny, with many promised funds undelivered and critical projects left incomplete.

The plaintiffs are seeking $750 million in compensatory damages, $250 million in punitive damages, and a full accounting of the funds.