The legal row between Katy Perry and 85-year-old Carl Westcott over her multi-million-dollar mansion continues – and it’s taken a very expensive turn.
Pop star Perry, 41, purchased the disabled pensioner’s Montecito, California, home for a whopping $15,000,000 (£11.4m) in 2020, acquiring some very famous neighbours in the process, with the likes of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and Oprah Winfrey residing in the area.
However, the American star has had anything but the peaceful housewarming she might have hoped for.
Days after her splurge, Westcott attempted to backtrack on the deal, claiming he was incapacitated when signing the paperwork due to taking painkillers.
The US Army veteran has Huntington’s disease – an inherited condition that affects movement, thinking, and mood – among other ailments. His condition worsens over time and cannot be cured currently.
Just four days before he signed over the keys, Westcott had undergone a six-hour back operation and was on a cocktail of opioids and painkillers to aid his recovery.
Previously, a judge sided with Perry in the dispute, ruling in May 2024 that Westcott was, in fact, of sound mind when the sale went through. It was argued that he presented ‘no persuasive evidence that he lacked capacity to enter into a real estate contract’ and that the contract must be ‘respected’.
And in the latest development, in documents filed on November 21 and obtained by the Daily Mail, Perry is holding Westcott accountable for money she lost in rentals and repairs needed on the property
Consequently, she has requested that he be forced to pay a total of $4,718,698.95 (£3,581,327.35) to cover the alleged damages.
This includes her being ‘entitled’ to the $3,525,000 (£2,675,440.45) she lost out on in rental value due to the legal feud, her attorneys have said.
It’s been claimed that repairs equate to $1,343,401.95 (£1,019,628.91), while Westcott’s own alleged damages of $149,703 (£113,617.09) have been deducted from the final figure.
This comes after Westcott – a businessman who founded 1-800-Flowers – initially sued Perry’s business manager, Bernie Gudvi, a month after the sale of the property.
His legal team claims Westcott is the one who should be paid now, saying I Kissed A Girl hitmaker Perry has only paid $9m (£6.8m) for the mansion, leaving her with $6m (£4.6m) to pay still.
Agreeing to deduct repair expenses, Westcott’s legal team has reduced the amount demanded of her to $5,740,418.18 (£4,356,690.38).
In July last year, it was reported that Westcott’s family were furious over Perry’s behaviour.
‘It’s clearly apparent that she’s trying to squeeze every last dollar out of Carl’s family,’ a family friend told the Daily Mail ahead of going to court.
‘The fact is, the Westcott family wants her to face them because they believe they deserve that. She’s taken their father’s house.
‘The least she can do is look them all in the eye.’
Perry herself then testified via video call, telling the Los Angeles Court this August that she ‘stands to lose money if this does not work in [her] favour’.
Asked by Westcott’s lawyer if she could ‘gain money or anything else from the outcome of this litigation’, she said: ‘Yes … justice.’
While the legal landscape has been pretty messy for a while, Perry and Westcott initially got off to a friendly start.
After the sale, it’s said Perry and former partner Orlando Bloom wrote a personal letter to Westcott, thanking him for selling his home to them.
It is said they discussed how the mansion was somewhere they could live in as a family. Perry and Bloom did not have children at the time but later welcomed daughter Daisy Dove.
Perry has since split from Bloom and is now dating former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The abode at the centre of all this spans 2.5 acres. It also has eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms.
Reps for Katy Perry have been contacted for comment.
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