Katy Perry is set to confront the family of a dying veteran in court over a long-running property issue that led to the surrender of the veteran’s Montecito estate.
After agreeing to sell Perry his eight-bedroom house for $15 million in 2020, the ailing 84-year-old Carl Westcott attempted to back out of the contract a few days later, stating that he had been under the influence of drugs when he signed.
A judge upheld the validity of the contract, and late last year, Perry was proclaimed the rightful owner of the gated 1930s estate—complete with a pool, two guesthouses, and a tennis court.
Still, the singer is hoping to shave around $6 million off the asking price by alleging the octogenarian, who is in hospice care due to Huntington’s illness, owes her a plethora of money for repairs and missed rental revenue.
The battle, according to Westcott’s enraged relatives, has spoiled their beloved patriarch’s last days, so Perry will have to present her case in person at an impending damages trial.
Westcott, a renowned member of the United States Army 101st Airborne who was born into a “dirt poor” family in Mississippi, will get $9 million from Perry, who has put the funds in escrow.
He relocated to Los Angeles from a shotgun home without running water and went on to start many prosperous businesses, one of which was 1-800-Flowers.
The second round of their lengthy, four-year legal battle will decide the exact amount of the purchase price that Perry owes him.
Perry is said to be worth $350 million.
Despite saying she intended to raise her daughter there when she sold the luxurious getaway, she now demands almost $3.5 million in missed rent.
After Perry signed the contract on July 15, 2020, Westcott claimed his judgment was compromised by powerful medicine and illness. He had just acquired the house in May and moved there two months before he had interactions with Bernie Gudvi, Perry’s agent, who offered him $3,750,000 more than he had paid for it.
The 80-year-old had just been released from the hospital four days before signing, following a six-hour back surgery.
His attorneys claimed that he was using a powerful combination of pain medication.
After the medicine’s effects began to wear off, Westcott allegedly realized his error and emailed Berkshire Hathaway on July 22 to notify them that he had changed his mind about selling.
Despite Westcott’s pleading, agents for Perry and Bloom ignored him and threatened legal action if he did not give up the property a few days later.
