Katy Perry stirred a row after moving to collect nearly $5 million in damages from Carl Westcott, an 85-year-old disabled veteran at the centre of a long running property dispute over a luxury Montecito home, Westcott is a former army serviceman who sold his $15 million estate to Perry and her ex-partner Orlando Bloom in July 2020. At the time, the couple wrote to him saying they were expecting a baby and believed the house would be the perfect place to raise their child. Days later, Westcott attempted to withdraw from the sale. He argued that he had signed the contract while recovering from back surgery and was heavily medicated, leaving him unable to fully understand the agreement.In December 2023, a judge ruled against him, saying there was no convincing evidence that he lacked the capacity to consent to the sale. Perry’s legal team also said that Westcott had a backup offer from Maria Shriver, the former wife of bodybuilder and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.As the dispute dragged on, Perry countersued for $3.25 million in alleged rental losses, along with $2.2 million for repairs and $3 million in legal fees. By this time, Westcott’s condition had worsened. He was bedridden, suffering from Huntington’s disease, and eventually moved into a hospice for 24/7 care. His son, Court Westcott, said the case has taken a major toll on his father and claimed that an apology would be appreciated.Perry is now seeking almost $5 million in damages. This invited backlash over her pursuit of money from an elderly, terminally ill man. “The optics of a millionaire pop star demanding hefty damages from a very ill man are terrible,” US-based PR strategist Abesi Manyando told The Telegraph. “This isn’t just a lawsuit, it’s now a David and Goliath narrative. A global superstar with wealth, legal resources and leverage versus an elderly, declining veteran who already lost his home. And that dynamic carries emotional weight.”Katy Perry recently came under the spotlight over her romantic relationship with former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The pair were seen displaying PDA on Perry’s yacht in September, according to photographs published by the Daily Mail.
