Katy Perry Awarded $1.94 Million in Long-Running Mansion Dispute
Katy Perry has been awarded $1.94 million (£1.44 million) following a court ruling that brings an end to her more than five-year legal battle with Texas businessman Carl Wescott.
The dispute stemmed from a $15 million (£11.1 million) contract Perry signed in July 2020 to purchase a luxury mansion in Montecito, California, from Wescott, the founder of 1-800-Flowers. Just one month later, Wescott attempted to back out of the deal, claiming that painkillers he was taking after back surgery left him mentally unfit to consent to the sale.
Wescott sued to invalidate the contract, triggering years of litigation. In 2023, a Los Angeles court ruled that Wescott was of sound mind at the time of the agreement, noting that he had rejected a lower offer from former California First Lady Maria Shriver only days before agreeing to sell the property to Perry.
In the latest ruling, the court determined that Wescott improperly attempted to withdraw from the contract and must pay Perry nearly $2 million as a penalty. The amount will be deducted from the original purchase price agreed upon in 2020.
According to the judge, the award reflects the rental income Perry could have earned during the 43 months the home sat empty while the legal battle played out.
“There is no reason to believe that this unique and attractive property would not rent for all 43 months,” the judge wrote in the decision.
The ruling officially closes the case, ending years of legal wrangling between Perry and Wescott over the high-profile Montecito property.