PulteGroup Inc is an American homebuilding and financial services company that is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The company was founded in 1950 by William J. Pulte, and operates in 37 markets in 23 states. It is the largest homebuilder in the United States. In 2019, PulteGroup reported revenue of $10.2 billion and a net income of $1.2 billion.
Two years before William Pulte passed away in 2016, Ryan R. Marshall was appointed as the new CEO of PulteGroup Inc. Recently, the company has been embroiled in a scandal involving one of its top-ranking executives, who allegedly orchestrated a “nefarious smear campaign” against Bill Pulte, the grandson of the company’s founder. This led to the dismissal of Brandon Jones, the newly appointed COO, after Bill Pulte filed a lawsuit against him earlier this month.
Pulte alleges that Jones was engaging in stalking, harassment, and defamation as part of a malicious plot, according to pultelawsuit.com.
Bill Pulte, in an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, stated that his grandfather had dedicated 68 years of his life to ensuring the security of the company, thus leading him to view this as a “spiritual mission”. He expressed his admiration for the majority of the employees but believes there may be some executives who have managed to convince themselves that the rules do not apply to them.
The lawsuit claims that Jones utilized a “bot network” to make it appear as if there was a higher level of support for an anonymous defamatory campaign.
Pulte’s attorneys have also notified the company’s general counsel, Todd Sheldon, to preserve documents related to Sheldon’s personal Twitter account, which was deleted after Pulte contacted the board of directors this week, Pulte said. “That deletion was very odd.”
Philanthropist Bill Pulte has used his Twitter account, which boasts 3.2 million followers, to locate appropriate causes for fundraising and donations.
The younger Pulte, a Twitter philanthropist, has leveraged his fortune to amass $2.5 million in support of the family of the teacher who lost their life in the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting, as well as $10,000 for the funeral costs of the family of the 18-month old who was tragically killed by the mother’s boyfriend.
