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In 2020, Katy Perry and her husband at the time Orlando Bloom purchased a $15 million home in Santa Barbara from Carl Westcott, an army veteran and millionaire who founded 1-800-Flowers. He quickly tried to undo the deal, claiming he was on prescribed painkillers due to a back surgery when he signed the contract and therefore of “unsound mind.” He sued Perry’s business manager Bernie Gudvi, and he lost at a bench trial. Perry asked for $4.7 million in damages, and now she’s been awarded $1.8 million.
Carl Westcott, who is 86 and incidentally the father-in-law of Real Housewives Of Dallas cast member Kameron Westcott, argued the singer’s damages should be only $260,000. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Joseph Lipner said Perry deserved $2.8 million for lost rental value and $260,000 for repairs. He then took away $1 million because Perry was able to invest her money elsewhere during the battle and Westcott lost interest on that amount.
Along with the claim that he was on painkillers, Westcott also said he was enduring a degenerative brain disease, symptoms of dementia, and post-operative delirium at the time of signing the contract. However, he only purchased the estate six weeks before signing the deal. Gudvi’s lawyers argued he had bothered the broker about when Perry’s initial offer was expected, declined her original $13.5 million bid, signed a counteroffer for $15 million, set up Perry’s tour of his property, agreed to extend the deadline on his counteroffer when the deadline passed, and criticized his agent for asking for a five percent commission.
Westcott’s lawyer also complained about Perry eating snacks during the deposition: “She should not schedule herself with other people, nor should she have assistants bringing her coffee and chocolate-covered coffee beans, or whatever it was she was doing at her deposition,” Andrew J. Thomas said. “If she’s going to be here [in person], that’s one thing. But if she’s gonna be on video, we need to know who’s around her.” The judge responded, “I’m not going to restrict her from getting coffee or snacks. But we should know, if she’s on video, who’s in the room.”