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Orlando Bloom Subpoenaed in Katy Perry’s Lawsuit With Disabled Veteran Over $15 Million Mansion
Orlando Bloom is now reportedly getting involved in fiancée Katy Perry’s ongoing lawsuit led by an 85-year-old disabled veteran over a $15 million mansion.
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor, 47, was subpoenaed this week by Carl Westcott’s legal team, sources told In Touch on Friday, November 1. The insider revealed that Orlando was asked to testify in phase two of the trial, which is scheduled to take place on February 25, 2025. Katy, 40, is also set to take the stand.
Carl, the founder of 1-800-Flowers, sued Katy’s business manager, Bernie Gudvi, in August 2020. He asked the court to rule that an agreement he made with Bernie to sell his Santa Barbara, California, home could not be enforced.
The vet argued that when he initially agreed to sell the mansion for $15 million in July 2020, he was heavily medicated following a back surgery, according to court documents obtained by Life & Style. Carl said he reached out to Bernie after his medicine wore off and his mind became more clear, asking the business manager to back out of the deal. However, Katy’s team allegedly refused to cancel the contract.
The parties went through phase one of the trial in November 2023. The court sided with Katy and ruled that the deal was enforceable, as Carl “presented no persuasive evidence that he lacked capacity to enter into a real estate contract,” according to court documents obtained by Life & Style.
Katy was awarded the mansion, and phase two of the trial was scheduled to determine the amount of damages Carl would have to pay. In October, Carl’s lawyers revealed that the “Roar” singer’s business manager increased the amount of damages sought from $2.67 million to $5.5 million.
Carl’s attorney said Katy initially requested $3.5 million in damages for loss of use of the home, which he expected. However, “[Katy’s manager] recently added another $2 million in ordinary money damages based on [Katy’s manager’s] new (and not pleaded) theory of negligence (i.e; that Mr. Westcott allegedly negligently maintained the property before he transferred it to Katy Perry),” his lawyer continued.
Carl’s lawyer added, “It is obvious what is happening. The purchase price that Katy Perry agreed to pay [was $15 million]. In stipulations this court approved in April, it was agreed that Mr. Westcott would transfer his house to Katy Perry, and she would deposit in escrow only $9 million of the $15 million price that she owes to Mr. Westcott.”
The attorney said that Katy agreed to take the amount she was awarded in phase two and deduct it from the $6 million owed. “Not that she owns title to the property, however, Katy Perry is increasing her damages claim to as close to the $6 million as possible. The desired goal is obviously to get to buy the house she agreed to buy for $15 million for just $9 million. To accomplish this, she has recently designated 25 new so-called witnesses on the repairs the home allegedly needs,” he concluded, noting that Carl is in a “residential mental health hospital for dementia” and has been since 2021.
Carl’s team denied that the home was in need of millions of dollars in repairs or neglected in any way. They argued that Carl hired full-time employees to care for the mansion after he was placed in a facility.
In the initial lawsuit, it was revealed that Katy and Orlando, who got engaged in 2019 and welcomed daughter Daisy in 2020, wrote a letter to Carl begging him to move forward with the sale of his home.
“As you know, we are expecting a baby next month, and know that this will be the best place to bring her home to and raise her in,” the letter read, according to Radar Online. “Though there were other properties that did interest us, yours will provide us the comfort of security, privacy, and safety. These three details are of the utmost importance to us and the reason we were willing to pay a premium and move forward on your property specifically. This home will be a respite, one where we will be able to grow together as a family. We have gone through some challenges in the past week, our beloved dog Mighty passed away.”
The letter continued, “With such devastating news, being the lucky people to purchase your home is a shining light to help get us 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.”
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