Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom are set to face a court battle this month over a long-running property dispute with an 83-year-old homeowner, Carl Westcott, who claims he was mentally unfit when he agreed to sell his Santa Barbara mansion. The couple, who are engaged and share a two-year-old daughter, made an offer on the $15 million (£11.8 million) property in 2020.
Westcott, a former army veteran, moved into the home just two months before allegedly signing the contract. He argues that he lacked the mental capacity to understand the agreement due to recent major surgery and his diagnosis of Huntington's disease, a condition that damages nerve cells in the brain. The contract was presented on July 14, 2020, less than a week after Westcott underwent a six-hour surgery, which he claims left him of unsound mind.
According to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail and New York Post, Westcott signed the contract on July 15, 2020. However, a week later, he said he began to feel mentally clear again as the effects of opiates from his surgery wore off. He then emailed the estate agent to say he did not want to sell his home. Shortly after, Westcott received a letter from a lawyer stating that Perry and Bloom were not willing to walk away from the purchase and that he was obligated to complete the sale.
Westcott's lawyers argue that the contract is voidable due to his state of health. The 83-year-old is now permanently mentally incapacitated and bedridden, and therefore unable to attend the trial. His family is representing him in hopes of maintaining control of the estate, which spans 7,100 square feet and includes six bedrooms and 12 bathrooms.
The primary defendant in the lawsuit is Bernie Gudvi, the couple's business manager, though Perry and Bloom are mentioned in the case. This is not the first real estate legal battle for Perry; in 2015, she was involved in a dispute with Roman Catholic nuns over a convent purchase in Los Angeles. A non-jury trial is set for August 21 at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles.
