Katy Perry Files $5M Lawsuit Against Elderly, Dying Veteran

Katy Perry is facing criticism for suing an 85-year-old disabled veteran over a property dispute in Montecito, California.

The pop star is seeking $5 million from Carl Westcott, who previously owned a $15 million home that Perry and her ex, Orlando Bloom, purchased more than five years ago.

The dispute dates back to July 2020, when Perry and Bloom offered to buy the eight-bedroom estate. They reportedly told Westcott in a note that they were expecting a child and believed the home would be the perfect place to raise their family.

Shortly after the sale, Westcott, an 86-year-old former Army serviceman, tried to back out of the deal, claiming he could not fully understand the contract because he was on pain medication after back surgery.

In December 2023, a judge ruled in Perry’s favor, according to NY Post, finding that Westcott had not provided enough evidence to support his claim of incapacity. Perry’s team also noted that Westcott had another offer on the property from Maria Shriver, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s former wife.

Following the ruling, Perry countersued for $3.25 million, citing lost rental income during the legal battle, $2.2 million in repair costs, and $3 million in legal fees. By that time, Westcott was bedridden and battling Huntington’s disease, a degenerative neurological condition. He is currently in hospice care, receiving around-the-clock support.

Westcott’s son, Court, has expressed concern about the impact of the lawsuit on his father’s health, suggesting that an apology might help ease the situation. Perry is now pushing for nearly $5 million to cover damages she claims resulted from the prolonged legal proceedings.

“The optics of a millionaire pop star demanding hefty damages from a very ill man are terrible,” Abesi Manyando, a U.S.-based PR strategist, told The Telegraph. “This isn’t just a lawsuit, it’s now a David and Goliath narrative – a global superstar with wealth, legal resources and leverage versus an elderly, declining veteran who already lost his home. And that dynamic carries emotional weight.”

This is not the first time Perry has been involved in a legal battle with older parties. In 2018, a nun who was part of a lawsuit over a convent sale in Los Angeles collapsed and died during a court appearance related to the case.

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