Pop star Katy Perry has been awarded over $1.8 million in damages following a lengthy legal battle with Carl Westcott, an 85-year-old disabled veteran. The dispute centered on the 2020 sale of Westcott’s $15 million Montecito mansion to Perry and her then-fiancé, Orlando Bloom. The case concluded with a judge ruling decisively in the singer’s favor after years of litigation.
The conflict began when Westcott agreed to sell his eight-bedroom home to the couple. Shortly after the contracts were signed, he attempted to back out of the deal. Westcott, who was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease in 2015, claimed he was not of sound mind when he signed the paperwork, citing the influence of strong painkillers following a major surgery. He subsequently filed a lawsuit against Perry’s business manager to revoke the sale.
Last year, a judge reviewed the case and found no compelling evidence that Westcott was incapacitated during the sale. The ruling stated that Westcott appeared “coherent, engaged, lucid and rational” at the time he entered the contract. With the validity of the sale upheld, the recent judgment orders Westcott to pay Perry $1,842,142.84, which covers the holding costs and other damages she incurred due to the failed transaction and subsequent legal fees.
Earlier this year, Westcott’s family publicly criticized Perry during the proceedings. After the singer gave a virtual testimony, his sons expressed their frustration, with one calling her responses “disingenuous” and “calculated.” Another son accused her of being disrespectful and claimed she attended the virtual hearing in pajamas. The family maintained they were fighting to defend their father, whom they described as being on his deathbed.
Despite the family’s emotional statements, the legal outcome remained unchanged. The court’s decision reinforces the binding nature of the real estate contract, bringing a financial resolution to a case that has been a source of public and private contention for several years.
