Katy Perry demands $2.6M 'lost rent' from seller of Montecito mansion
EXCLUSIVE: Katy Perry demands $2.6MILLION in lost rental income from veteran Carl Westcott over Montecito mansion he claims he ‘mistakenly sold’ singer while on painkillers
- Katy Perry claims she has missed out on $2.67M in rental income she could’ve earned from Montecito home at center of lawsuit, DailyMail.com has learned
- The singer, who bought the property from Carl Westcott, 83, in 2020, is also demanding another $2.6M to cover the cost of maintaining a different home
- Perry and fiancé Orlando Bloom previously gushed about the mansion becoming their family ‘retreat’ and the ‘best place’ to raise their daughter, Daisy Dove
Katy Perry is demanding millions of dollars in lost rent from the ailing 83-year-old veteran who claims he mistakenly sold her his California mansion while under the influence of opiates, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.
Perry and her fiancé Orlando Bloom previously gushed about the sprawling Montecito home becoming their family ‘retreat’ and the ‘best place’ to raise their daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom.
But after being blocked from moving in for three years, the couple changed their tune and now say they missed out on $2,670,000 in rent they could have charged on the 9,285-square foot compound in the Santa Ynez foothills.
Carl Westcott’s lawyers have spent that time trying to nix a $15million deal for the Montecito home that he signed away six days after undergoing major back surgery in July 2020.
In a new court filing obtained by DailyMail.com, Katy Perry claims she has missed out on $2.67million in rental income she could have earned from the Montecito home she bought from veteran Carl Westcott (right) in 2020
Perry, 38, who purchased the $15million mansion in 2020, had gushed about the property becoming a family ‘retreat’ and the ‘best place’ for her and fiance Orlando Bloom raise their daughter, Daisy Dove
Perry, 38, and Bloom, 46, are not only fighting to finally get their hands on dementia sufferer Westcott’s palatial, eight-bed residence, they also want millions in compensation, according to court documents obtained by DailyMail.com.
On top of the missed rental income, the Firework singer wants a further $2,669,682 to cover the cost of maintaining a different home while she waits to move in.
The vast sum includes $1,428,571 in rent, $325,111 in mortgage interest, $343,759 in property taxes, $145,407 for gardening and $8,919 for ‘research – cable and internet.’
Perry’s demands have stunned Westcott’s lawyers who say she never mentioned anything previously about renting a ‘substitute’ $75,000-per-month property and has admitted she owns three other homes in Santa Barbara.
They also claim that the 13-time Grammy nominee was directly asked at her April deposition if she had planned to rent out Westcott’s house and she insisted under oath that she did not.
A Westcott family representative told DailyMail.com: ‘The bullying behavior of Katy Perry reminds us that even the brightest stars can cast shadows. In the spotlight, she sings of love and compassion, but you don’t need to look too hard to see that Katy Perry has a pattern of behavior in which she seemingly targets the weak and vulnerable for her own gain.
‘Whether suing elderly nuns to force them from their convent; suing an innocent small business owner in Australia whose only transgression is having the same name; shaming a mother on American Idol; making insensitive jokes about mental health; forcing a kiss on an American Idol contestant; and now suing an 84-year-old father and veteran who is on his deathbed.’
Their latest filing includes a personal letter Perry and Bloom sent Westcott to express their ‘joy’ at being able to call the Montecito property their new home.
‘As you know we are expecting a baby next month and know that this will be the best place to bring her home and raise her,’ the couple wrote on July 22, 2020 – the same day Westcott wrote to agents to scuttle the sale.
The heartfelt note, from ‘Katy and Orlando’, went on: ‘This home will be a respite, one where we will be able to grow together as a family.
Their latest filing includes a personal letter Perry and Bloom sent Westcott to express their ‘joy’ at being able to call the Montecito property their new home
Days after signing the home away, Westcott – who suffers from Huntington’s Disease, rescinded the contract and reneged on the sale of the eight-bedroom, 11 bathroom property
According to Westcott’s complaint obtained by DailyMail.com, he never listed the property or spoke to a broker about putting the stunning 9,285sqft home on the market
‘We have gone through some challenges in the past week, our beloved dog Mighty passed away. With such devastating news, being the lucky people to purchase your home is a shining light to help us get through such a difficult time.
‘We hope you can appreciate that you are turning your home over to a very loving couple, who are expecting their first baby and have nothing but joy at the thought of making their life and future memories there.’
Westcott’s lawyers say it took them months to pin down Perry, whose daughter was born in August 2020, for her deposition as she was ‘always supposedly somewhere else not available.’
But they have asked an LA County Superior Court judge to rule that she sits for a second grilling to clear up the supposed discrepancies.
‘Prior to last month, the only damages Ms. Perry claimed were $2,670,000 in alleged lost rents that she claims she would have earned by renting out Mr. Westcott’s house if he had sold it to her in due course in July 2020 when the subject contract was signed.
‘Her claim is ‘unique’ to say the least because at her deposition taken April 4, 2023, she testified she did not intend to rent out the house,’ wrote Westcott’s lawyer, Andrew J Thomas.
He added: ‘Fairness dictates that Mr. Westcott be allowed to depose Ms Perry for a second session with the scope limited to the rental house and she should be required to disclose the address so that Mr. Westcott’s real estate expert can investigate its fair rental value.
Perry, 38, and Bloom, 46, who got engaged in 2019, are not only fighting for the palatial, eight-bed residence, they also want millions in compensation
On top of the missed rental income, the Firework singer wants a further $2,669,682 to cover the cost of maintaining a different home while she waits to move in
Perry’s demands stunned Westcott’s lawyers who say she never mentioned anything previously about renting a ‘substitute’ $75,000-per-month property and has admitted she owns three other homes in Santa Barbara
‘Not allowing Mr. Westcott to do so would result in Ms. Perry being able to intentionally withhold evidence and in an unfair trial.’
DailyMail.com previously revealed how Westcott, a military veteran with Huntington’s Disease, wanted the sale voided because his judgment was clouded by powerful medication and ill health when he inked the deal on July 15, 2020.
Westcott had only purchased the home in May and moved in two months prior to his dealings with Perry’s representative, Bernie Gudvi, who agreed to pay him $3,750,000 more than he had just bought it for.
The then-80-year-old had been discharged from the hospital only four days prior to signing, having undergone a six-hour back operation.
He was on a potent cocktail of opiates to numb the pain, his lawyers claim. When the medication wore off, Westcott claims he realized he’d made a mistake and informed Berkshire Hathaway by email on July 22 that he no longer intended to sell up.
‘The combination of his age, frailty from his back condition and recent surgery, and the opiates he was taking several times a day rendered Mr. Westcott of unsound mind,’ his complaint argues.
Perry and Bloom’s agents disregarded Westcott’s plea, writing to him days later to warn they would sue if he did not relinquish the plush 1930s-built pad, which includes a swimming pool, tennis court and guesthouse.
The seller’s attorneys referenced Perry’s deposition taken April 4, 2023 during which she testified that she did not intend to rent out the house
‘The letter stated, in sum and substance, that the lawyer represented not only Mr. Gudvi, but also Mr. Orlando Bloom and Ms. Katheryn Hudson (professionally known as Katy Perry) on whose behalf Mr. Gudvi had always been acting.
‘The letter advised Mr. Westcott that his clients Mr. Bloom and Ms. Hudson are not willing to walk away from purchasing Mr. Westcott’s home and he is obligated to complete the sale.’
Westcott is a veteran of the US Army 101st Airborne and is known for owning several successful companies, most notably 1-800-Flowers.
His family are fighting for control of the estate on his behalf because he’s been left bedridden and mentally incapacitated because of Huntington’s disease.
The rare condition attacks areas of the brain that control voluntary movement and can cause progressive dementia, according to the new filing, which seeks to introduce additional evidence to shed further light on the retiree’s declining mental health.
This isn’t the first time Katy Perry has had legal problems when it came to purchasing a home.
In 2015, Katy was in a battle with elderly Roman Catholic nuns over the sale of a Los Angeles convent. Sister Rita Callanan (right) and Sister Catherine Rose Holzman (left) lived on the eight-acre property that includes a 30,000-square-foot Spanish-Gothic home until 2011
Perry wanted to purchase an historic convent in Los Angeles, which is owned by historic Order of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
In 2015, she was in a battle with elderly Roman Catholic nuns over the sale of a convent.
Perry purchased the building in 2015, paying $14.5million in cash to Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez. Sister Rita Callanan and Sister Catherine Rose Holzman, who had lived in the convent since the 70s, claimed Gomez had no right to offload the property, and said they had already sold it weeks prior for $15.5million.
But the Archdiocese of Los Angeles sued to block their deal, arguing that it was the nuns who had exceeded their authority.
A judge ruled against the nuns in 2016 and awarded Perry and the Archdiocese damages totaling more than $15million.
During the 2018 legal battle, Sister Holzman, 89, collapsed and died during a court appearance.
Sister Callanan, the only surviving nun who lived at the Order of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, said at the time that Katy Perry ‘has blood on her hands.’
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