Elderly 1-800-Flowers founder sold home to pop star in a ‘fog of the opioid painkillers’: Report
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An elderly man sold Katy Perry his $15 million Santa Barbara, California home while in a “fog of the opioid painkillers” and wants to pull out of the deal, according to the man’s son. Carl Westcott, the founder of 1-800-Flowers, reportedly signed a contract to sell his “dream home” to the pop star in 2020. Chart Westcott, who is Carl’s son, however, says his dad quickly tried to void the deal after realizing what he’d done. Since then a battle has waged between Katy and the famed businessman, and it’s headed to court.
In an essay penned by Chart, he argued that his father, now 83, sold the home while “not of sound mind” and made an “irreversible mistake during moments of medical vulnerability.” He is now pushing for a law to be passed to protect the elderly from entering into bad real estate contracts.
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Katy Perry and Carl Westcott have been locked in a three-year battle over a Santa Barbara, California home. In August 2020, Carl sold his home — one he’d only been in for two months — to the pop star after a six-hour back surgery, Carl’s son, Chart, claims.
“Approximately two days later, after the fog of the opioid painkillers lifted, he realized what had happened and acted to cancel a contract that had been signed while he was not of sound mind,” Chart wrote in The Federalist on Oct. 2. “My father wrote an email to Katy Perry’s agents explaining the circumstances under which he had signed the contract. Brushing aside my father’s plea, his acknowledgment of his vulnerability, and his stated inability to properly consent at the time of signing, Perry did not care. Instead, she demanded the sale of the property and threatened to sue if my father did not comply.”
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In late September 2023, it was reported that the real estate dispute would go to trial, but the clash has already had an affect on 83-year-old Carl Westcott.
“As the legal battle dragged on for three long years, my father’s health deteriorated, leaving him bedridden. During a time when we should be cherishing our remaining moments with him, we find ourselves entangled in a fight against [Katy] Perry’s swarm of lawyers to preserve our family’s legacy,” Chart Westcott wrote in an essay. “When his time comes, I want my father to be remembered for the years he spent serving his country, his numerous successful businesses, his robust family life, and his kind, caring heart. I don’t want him to be remembered as Katy Perry’s latest victim.”
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Katy Perry apparently never intended to live in the home in question. Instead, she intended to rent it out and is seeking more than $5 million in damages for allegedly missing out on rental income.
The “Firework” singer was embroiled in a real estate kerfuffle previously as well. Back in 2015, Katy Perry and the Catholic Church made headlines when she purchased the Order of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s convent in the hills of Los Angeles from the L.A. archdiocese for $14.5 million. The nuns who owned the convent since the early 70s protested.
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Chart Westcott argues that laws should be put in place to protect the elderly in real estate deals.
“We must ensure their voices are heard,” she said of senior citizens. “My father has no voice and cannot speak clearly anymore because his mind has left him. What remains is a frail body and the beautiful, weathered soul of a man who lived a full life. My family will speak for him and for all others who find an elder family member in a similar situation.
“Ultimately, we all share this common destiny: to grow old and infirm, and eventually depart from this world. I call upon California and all other state legislatures around the country to pass the Protecting Elder Realty for Retirement Years (PERRY) Act to give any party in a contract for sale of a personal residence, in which one party is over the age of 75, at least a 72-hour cool-down period in which either party has the right to rescind the contract,” Chart said. “This would protect senior citizens from making an irreversible mistake during moments of medical vulnerability and would give their loved ones time to make sure they are making the right choice.”
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