Katy Perry branded ‘unforgivable’ by family of veteran, 85, she ousted from $15m home as she ‘fights for $6m in damages’

KATY Perry’s court battle to extract $6 million from an elderly disabled veteran she evicted from his home has been slammed as “unforgivable.”. The family of Carl Westcott - who has a neurological disorder - is outraged the popstar is suing the 85-year-old for back rent and alleged damages.

Perry, 40, and her actor husband Orlando Bloom, 48, last year won a court battle with the military veteran who had accused her of taking advantage of him to buy his mansion in Southern California. In 2020, the Hollywood stars bought the luxurious mansion in Montecito - home to celebrities such as Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Gwyneth Paltrow - which Westcott owned.

During the Covid pandemic, Westcott signed the property deal with Bernie Gudvi, the star's business manager, after initially agreeing to sell his 8.9-acre estate to Perry. However, the octogenarian later claimed that due to a number of health issues at the time - including that his judgment was impaired by surgery and pain medication - he did not have sufficient mental capacity to enter into the $14.2 million contract.

Westcott suffers from Huntington’s disease, a brutal condition that stops parts of the brain working properly over time. It gets gradually worse and is usually fatal after a period of up to 20 years. He said that he no longer wanted to sell his home, which resulted in legal action with the singer.

Then, in 2023, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Joseph Lipner concluded that Westcott did not have enough evidence to support this claim and that the property rightfully belonged to Perry. In March 2024, the keys were exchanged. Following the successful verdict, Perry - through her business manager Bernie Gudvi - began pursuing Westcott for back rent and alleged damages to the tune of $6 million.

And last week, the presiding judge mandated that Perry should appear to testify on her damages claim in the Los Angeles civil court. There is also a subpoena motion before the court seeking the appearance of Bloom to serve as a material witness, said a spokeswoman for Westcott.

But Perry's manager is fighting against this motion, and has accused Westcott of "harassing Bloom... to turn the trial into a media circus.". Westcott is currently in a hospice, said one of his sons, Chart, who lives in Puerto Rico. It's how the Hollywood elite system works - I've seen this up close - they treat ordinary people like dirt, it's been a difficult time for the family.

The U.S. Sun reached out to Chart Westcott who said that his dad has "been in a horrible condition, bedridden for well over 18 months. "His activity level is very low, he's not awake very often, he's very foggy - and still recognises us, but the decline is just consistent, and very painful for our family to watch.".

Chart, 39, said of Perry's multi-million-dollar damages lawsuit, "It was shocking when it happened in the first place. "If an old man apologizes and says he made a mistake [about the house sale], and she's a rich pop star who can buy any other house in the world, you'd think she would let the old man go on his way.".

July 2020: Entrepreneur Carl Westcott, US Army veteran and founder of 1-800 Flowers - sold his Montecito mansion to Katy Perry for $15 million. August 2020: Westcott filed a lawsuit against Perry and Orlando Bloom's business manager, Bernie Gudvi, alleging he was heavily medicated and not of sound mind when he contracted with Perry for the sale.

The popstar's legal team countered and alleged that Westcott, who has Huntington's disease, had changed his mind on the sale, and the contract should be upheld. December 2023: A judge ruled in favor of Perry, and upheld the sales contract. March 2024: The keys were exchanged.

2024-2025: Phase two of the legal action - after the successful verdict, Katy Perry lodged a damages claim for $6 million against Carl Westcott, who is bedridden and currently receiving 24/7 care. According to court documents, the star's team is seeking compensation for alleged lost rental value, deferred maintenance, repairs for water damage and a fallen tree.

This claim has yet to go before court, with the case set to be heard in August 2025. He also alleged, "It's entitled celebrity behaviour. "She has no sense of fair play, no empathy, zero empathy, quite the opposite. "The worse the condition my father is in, the harsher they've been in trial; it's unfortunate to see the way her lawyers have conducted themselves, bottom of the barrel in terms of ethics.".

The purpose of Carl Westcott’s subpoena is to harass Orlando Bloom so as to further sensationalize and turn the narrow scope of this remedies phase of the trial into a media circus.". Chart also accused the singer of pressing ahead with the damages claim out of "greed.".

"She can cause damage in other people's lives," he claimed. "There's no real explanation other than greed. "This is such a small deal to be worried about - I think its a matter of privilege - her lawyers and her business manager are dealing with it. "The last hearing we had, the judge has said she must testify.".