Katy Perry slammed over ‘unforgivable’ act

It’s been revealed the singer is embroiled in a messy legal battle, with the other side branding her behaviour as “unforgivable”.

Katy Perry’s court battle to extract US$6 million (AUD$9.4 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, reports The U.S. Sun.

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 (A$22.2 million) contract.

Katy Perry is embroiled in a legal battle. Picture: Mike Marsland/WireImage

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 ($9.4 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.”

Carl Westcott, 85, with his grandson Cruise Westcott and grand daughter Hilton Westcott, with their mum Kameron Westcott. Picture: Instagram

Westcott is currently in a hospice, said one of his sons, Chart, who lives in Puerto Rico.

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 multimillion-dollar damages lawsuit, “It was shocking when it happened in the first place.

“If an old man apologises 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.”

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.”

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 it's 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.”

Perry with her husband, actor Orlando Bloom. Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Unforgivable

When asked if the Westcott family has a message for Perry and Bloom, Chart paused at length.

He then replied, “It’s a hard question, because I don’t feel like anyone is listening – they sold their souls long ago … they chose this.

“It’s unforgivable how they have conducted their affairs.

“But 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.”

Bedridden

Chart added, “Everyone knows Dad is bedridden – and he has survived longer than we ever expected, it’s a miracle he’s still alive.

“Dad has not talked about this damages case.

“We are inherently very reasonable people, and we are interested in a reasonable outcome for all involved, it’s unfortunate that Katy and Orlando have been unreasonable from the start.”

The U.S. Sun has contacted the couple’s lawyers and Perry’s rep for comment.

This article originally appeared in The U.S. Sun and was reproduced with permission.

Originally published as Katy Perry slammed over ‘unforgivable’ act