Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom have found themselves embroiled in a lawsuit over their $15 million Santa Barbara home. The couple purchased the property back in July 2020, but now face a trial due to complaints from the man who sold the house to them – 83-year-old businessman Carl Wescott.
According to court documents, Wescott alleges that he was not of sound mental capacity during the sale and therefore could not understand the implications of such a transaction. The paperwork cites a six-hour surgery and painkiller medication shortly before the sale as being particularly detrimental to his mental clarity and judgement. This has led him to declare that the contract is void or voidable on the basis that he was “deprived of reason and understanding with respect to the terms and consequences of the contract.”
It remains to be seen how this saga will play out, but one thing is certain – Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom are certainly finding out that buying a property is not always as easy as they say.
Perry, 38, and Bloom, 46, were all set to buy their dream home when one key obstacle came to light. Westcott, the seller of the property, had been under the influence when he initially made the agreement. After realizing this, Westcott sent a heartfelt email to Berkshire Hathaway – the dual agent for both buyer and seller – expressing his regret and explaining that he could not go through with the sale.
The soon-to-be engaged couple then responded, expressing how much they cherished the house and wished to make it their home. However, Westcott felt that the home was too closely intertwined with his life and he refused to part with it. This prompted Perry and Bloom to take legal action.
On July 24, 2020, Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry were locked in a legal battle with over the purchase of a home belonging to Mr. Westcott. The stars were being represented by their business manager, Mr. Bernie Gudvi, who was insisting on the completion of the sale despite Mr. Westcott’s unwillingness. After three years of anticipation, their non-jury trial is finally set to begin on August 21.
This isn’t Perry’s first foray into real estate lawsuits either. Back in 2015, she bought a convent from Archbishop Jose Gomez for $14.5 million, only for several nuns living there already to claim that the archbishop had no right to make the sale. Gomez responded by suing the nuns, but eventually a judge ruled that the nuns’ own sale was invalid and Perry and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles had to pay millions in damages.
It’s clear that buying a property isn’t as easy as it sounds, especially when high-profile celebrities are involved. While we await the outcome of Perry and Bloom’s lawsuit against Mr. Westcott, one thing is certain—this is a saga worth watching.