Katy Perry has won a legal battle over a multi-million-dollar home she purchased through her LLC in 2020.
The celebrity battled it out in court after snapping up the prime real estate in Montecito four years ago through her LLC, DDoveB, against an 84-year-old disabled veteran. The 39-year-old faced difficulty after purchasing the property when the veteran, Mr Carl Westcott, changed his mind days after signing the deal. It hasn’t been an easy process, as Mr Westcott, who suffers Huntington’s Disease, claims he didn’t realize he sold his home due to painkillers and his condition.
Katy Perry bought Montecito mansion four years ago
In July 2020, Mr Westcott signed a contract agreeing to sell the $15m Montecito home to Katy Perry.
He was 80 years old at the time, and has been suffering with Huntington’s disease since 2015. The condition attacks areas of the brain that control voluntary movement, and it can bring on dementia.
According to the home-owner, he says he didn’t list the property or speak to a broker to put his home on the market. He had purchased the 9,285-square-foot mansion in May of that year, and two months later it was sold to Perry through her LLC.
He says he was hoping to live there for the ‘rest of his life’, his original complaint states, according to the Wall Street Journal.
On July 11, he returned from hospital after undergoing six-hour back surgery and was taking strong painkillers.
Three days later, Bernie Gudvi, who represents the American Idol star and Orlando Bloom, presented him with a written offer, which was more than what he paid for it weeks before.
Mr Westcott signed the contract the next day, but his lawyers argued in court he wasn’t able to ‘understand the nature and probably consequences’.
Days later, he says he felt ‘mentally clear’ and sent an email explaining he didn’t want to sell his Montecito home to Katy Perry and Bloom.
Singer wanted her ‘daughter to grow up there’
After hearing the news, the celebrity couple penned Mr Westcott an emotional letter, stating she wanted to raise her daughter, Daisy, in the home.
The letter read: “As you know we are expecting a baby next month and know that this will be the best place to bring her home and raise her.”
It added: “This home will be a respite, one where we will be able to grow together as a family.
“We have gone through some challenges in the past week, our beloved dog Mighty passed away. With such devastating news, being the lucky people to purchase your home is a shining light to help us get through such a difficult time.
“We hope you can appreciate that you are turning your home over to a very loving couple, who are expecting their first baby and have nothing but joy at the thought of making their life and future memories there.”
After a three-year legal battle, an LA judge has ruled against Mr Westcott, and Katy Perry successfully acquired the Montecito mansion through her LLC on Friday, May 17.
But the previous homeowner’s son, Chart, told the New York Post Katy wants to rent the property out.
He said: “Where the judge’s ruling may follow the letter of the law, it shows that the law has no spirit.
“Katy Perry will now have to testify, in person, to receive her ‘damages’. We look forward to her testimony, and to her being confronted with possible sanctions for perjury.
“Perry has put herself in a box by claiming that she lost years of rental income and is owed damages, which is counter to her sworn statements about wanting to live in the house.”
Katy had trouble buying a convent
However, it’s not the first time the star faced trouble snapping up a property. In 2015, she purchased a convent in LA, paying $14.5m in cash to Archbishop Jose Gomez.
But two elderly Roman Catholic nuns, Sister Rita Callanan and Sister Catherine Rose Holzman, claimed the Archbishop had no right to sell it as it was already sold weeks earlier for $1m more.
A judge ruled against the two in 2016, and Perry and the Archdiocese – who sued to block the nun’s deal – were awarded damages totaling more than $15m.
During the legal battle, Sister Holzman, 89, collapsed and died during a court appearance.
For Katy Perry’s recent battle for the Montecito property, Superior Court Judge Joseph Lipner said: “Westcott presented no persuasive evidence that he lacked capacity into a real estate contract.”
Her attorney, Eric Rowen, told Rolling Stone: “The evidence shows that Mr. Westcott breached the contract for no other reason than he had changed his mind.
“We look forward to wrapping this matter up at the scheduled damage trial phase set for February 13 and 14, if not before.”
The singer has asked for damages in lost rent, which they say they could have charged in rent for the eight-bedroom abode.
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