Katy Perry tells court why she is fighting 85-year-old man in $15 million lawsuit
Katy Perry has revealed her motivation behind launching a legal battle against an 85-year-old man.
The pop star, 40, has told a Los Angeles court what else is at stake for her aside from the $6million in damages she hopes to gain from pensioner Carl Westcott.
She's been at war with the US army veteran since 2020 after buying a sprawling mansion in Santa Barbara, California, from him for $15million.
The 'Dark Horse' hitmaker purchased the pad with her former fiancé Orlando Bloom five years ago, and she claims they had intended to raise their daughter Daisy Dove, 5, there.
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Perry's business manager Bernie Gudvi facilitated the sale of Westcott's home for her - but shortly after the deal was completed, the elderly man changed his mind.
Westcott had purchased the property himself for around $11million only two months prior to giving the keys to the music star and argued that he was not 'of sound mind' when he put it on the market.
Westcott suffers from Huntington’s Disease, which the NHS describes as an 'inherited condition that affects your movement, thinking and mood', adding that it is incurable and 'gets worse over time'.
Symptoms include difficulty concentrating and planning tasks, memory problems, low mood, depression and anxiety and behavioural changes, while there are a host of possible physical side effects too.
As well as this, Westcott had undergone surgery shortly before selling his home and was taking 'multiple opiate medications', according to court documents.
He tried to reverse the sale, arguing that these factors meant the contract he had signed is 'void or voidable'.
Gudvi was listed as the primary defendant in the lawsuit, rather than Perry or Bloom, and a judge ultimately ruled in favour of the couple.
The court heard that evidence had been produced which demonstrated that Westcott was 'coherent, engaged, lucid, and rational' when signing the contract.
In May last year, the deed was transferred to Perry’s LLC, DDoveB - but her legal battle with the 85-year-old didn't end there.
The Smurfs star then countersued Westcott, claiming that he owes her $3.25 million in damages because she was unable to rent out the property during their legal battle between September 2020 to March 2024.
She also wants another $2.29 million as she alleges that the 9,000-sq ft mansion needs to be restored to the condition it was purchased in.
On the surface, it seems obvious that Perry has taken Westcott to court to get the money she believes she's owed from him - but there's also another reason for her countersuit.
While appearing in front of a Los Angeles judge via Zoom yesterday (August 26), the songstress was asked if she stands to 'gain money or anything else from the outcome of this litigation'.
Perry then responded: "Yes...justice."
Westcott’s attorney, Andrew J. Thomas, then followed up by asking, as per PEOPLE: "How about money?"
"I stand to lose money if it does not work in my favour," Perry said. "My financial stake could be lost money, lawyers fees, lost rental income: all of the above."
The court was also told that Westcott has only received $9million for the pad they've been warring over, prompting Thomas to ask who will be stumping up the rest of the money.
"It could be a combination of Orlando and I," Perry said, adding: "We are family for life."
She announced her split from Bloom in July, with the pair releasing a joint statement explaining they have been 'shifting their relationship over the past many months to focus on co-parenting'.
"They will continue to be seen together as a family, as their shared priority is - and always will be - raising their daughter with love, stability and mutual respect," it added.
Topics: Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, Home, US News, Celebrity, Celebrity News
Olivia Burke