Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom have won their ongoing legal dispute concerning an extravagant Montecito, California, estate that was formerly owned by a disabled veteran named Carl Westcott.
The ruling in their favor was declared by a Los Angeles judge on Wednesday, according to the New York Post.
"This proposed decision is crystal clear — the judge has concluded that Mr. Westcott was in full possession of his faculties when he engaged in complex negotiations with multiple parties to finalize the lucrative sale of the property, which ultimately brought him a substantial profit," declared Eric Rowen, attorney for Perry, in a statement cited by the Post.
"The evidence overwhelmingly shows that Mr. Westcott breached the contract simply because he changed his mind. We eagerly anticipate resolving this matter during the scheduled damage trial phase set for February 13 and 14, if not sooner."
Carl Westcott’s son, Chart Westcott, released a statement shortly after the ruling to the Post.
"Where the judge’s ruling may follow the letter of the law, it shows that the law has no spirit. Katy Perry will now have to testify, in person, to receive her ‘damages,' " he said.
"We look forward to her testimony, and to her being confronted with possible sanctions for perjury. Perry has put herself in a box by claiming that she lost years of rental income and is owed damages, which is counter to her sworn statements about wanting to live in the house. We hope Ms. Perry enjoys her pyrrhic victory, as she explains to her fans about twice taking homes from the elderly. Lastly, we wish the judge had spelled our father’s name correctly," Chart Westcott added.
Earlier this year, the Daily Mail reported that Carl Westcott had moved into the home just two months before Perry and Bloom purchased the 8.9 acre estate, which boasts six bedrooms and 12 bathrooms.
Court papers previously obtained by the Post state that the contract for selling Carl Westcott's home on July 14, 2020, was made when he, "lacked the mental capacity to understand the nature and probable consequences of the contract."
Carl Westcott, 84, a former member of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne division, bought the house on May 29 with the plan to reside there "for the rest of his life," according to the court records.
He claimed that his age, poor health from Huntington’s disease, and "a major six-hour surgery less than a week before the proposed contract" had "seriously impaired [his] mental faculties to the point he was of unsound mind and not competent to give his free, voluntary, or intelligent consent to the contract."
On July 22, 2020, several days after the contract was signed, Westcott claimed that the opiates from the surgery wore off and he began to "feel mentally clear again." He submitted a letter to the real estate agency representing the property, Berkshire Hathaway, stating that he did not want to sell his home, legal documents show.
Perry and Bloom responded to him by expressing their desire to buy the property at a higher price than his initial purchase, but in response, Westcott said he "gave it his deepest consideration, but that he is in the final few years of his life and he cannot sell his home," according to the court documents.
An attorney representing Perry and Bloom subsequently informed him that the couple had no intention of backing out and he was committed to finalizing the purchase.