Katy Perry wins real estate battle with Mississippi native. Read details on lawsuit here
After four years of legal battle, Katy Perry has officially secured ownership of a California home sold by Vicksburg, Mississippi native Carl Westcott.
The conflict, which included multiple law suits, sparked from Westcott's claim that he was mentally incapacitated at the time of the sale, which occurred a few weeks after he bought the Montecito estate in May of 2020.
The Wall Street Journal reported that in Dec. 2023, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled in Perry's favor. On May 17, the singer filed the deed under her limited liability company DDoveB.
Westcott, an entrepreneur and current Dallas resident, bought the Montecito estate presumably as a vacation home for $11.25 million. A few weeks later, in July 2020, Westcott signed a contract with Perry's business manager, Bernie Gudvi, agreeing to sell the home for $15 million.
Mere days after signing the contract, Westcott attempted to reverse the sale, the Wall Street Journal reported. Westcott's lawyers claimed the contract should be rendered invalid because Westcott was mentally incapacitated at the time of the sale. According to his lawyers, Westcott, 85, suffers from Huntington's disease and, at the time of the sale, was taking pain pills following a back surgery.
Perry's team countered, saying Westcott had simply changed his mind on the sale, and the contract should be upheld. The court agreed.
Perry made Mississippi headlines nearly a decade ago when she was a celebrity guest picker on ESPN's College Game Day series. In 2014, Perry attended an Ole Miss football game and picked the Rebels to win over Alabama.
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With the house secured in Perry's name, the protracted legal battle is not over yet. Perry and her team are now suing Westcott for damages including lost fair-market value and deferred maintenance, according to court documents obtained by the Wall Street Journal
Perry has currently paid $9 million of the $15 million price tag. The remaining payments will be determined after the court's ruling. Perry is expected to testify in court in July for this second leg of the legal battle.
In an email response to the Wall Street Journal, Westcott's son, Chart Westcott, said Perry's response to his father's decisions was "heartless," and her "Hollywood hypocrisy and fake empathy knows no bounds."
Perry recently announced she was leaving her role as a judge on "American Idol."
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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Katy Perry wins years-long real estate battle with Carl Westcott