Katy Perry is in a legal battle with Carl Westcott over a $25.5 million mansion. Photo / Getty Images
Katy Perry is in a legal battle with Carl Westcott over a $25.5 million mansion. Photo / Getty Images
Katy Perry has been slammed by the family of the ailing Army veteran she is battling in court.
The singer, 40, has been pursuing US$6 million ($10.2m) in damages in a long-running legal dispute over a US$15m ($25.5m) mansion in California, and has been locked in a legal battle overthe cash with Carl Westcott, 85, – a terminally ill veteran who is bedridden with an incurable brain disorder.
Perry is seeking compensation for alleged property damage and back rent, while Westcott continues to fight for the remainder of the purchase price for the Montecito home.
Westcott’s son, Chart Westcott, has now told The US Sun about the dispute: “Katy talks about seeking ‘justice’, but for five years my family has endured a painful legal battle while our father, a mentally disabled 85-year-old Army veteran, is in declining health.
“The real buyer [of the mansion] was [Perry’s ex-partner] Orlando Bloom, yet that only came to light years later.
“Katy already owns multiple homes in Montecito and has extraordinary wealth.
“She could live anywhere in the world, but she chose to press forward in a way that has deeply hurt our family. We wish there had been more empathy, more humanity, and more understanding.”
The dispute dates back to 2020, when Perry agreed to purchase the 1-ha estate for US$15m ($25.5m) in cash, using her business manager Bernie Gudvi as her agent.
At the time, she already owned three properties in the Santa Barbara area.
Days after signing the contract, Westcott attempted to rescind the sale, saying he was under the influence of painkillers when he signed.
He sought to void the contract, but Perry and her then-partner Bloom, 48, contested the claim and won.
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom. Photo / Getty Images
Westcott received US$9m from the transaction but maintains he is owed the remaining US$6m.
Perry is pursuing US$2.5m in alleged property damage and US$3.5m in lost rental income, though her legal team later reduced the damages claim to US$1.3m.
In court this week, Perry was asked whether she stood to gain financially from the case.
She said: “Yes… justice. I stand to lose money if it does not work in my favour.”
Pressed again on her financial interest, she added: “My financial stake could be lost money, lawyers’ fees, lost rental income – all of the above.”
Westcott’s lawyer, Andrew Thomas, suggested that Bloom had personally spent US$5m on repairs and renovations to the property.
Perry said she had been involved in the project “as Orlando’s partner and adviser”.
