A war veteran and his family who have been embroiled in a years-long legal battle with Katy Perry over her $15 million Montecito mansion will soon get their day in court with the singer – but they want to face off with Orlando Bloom too.
Chart Westcott, the Attorney-in-Fact for his 85-year-old ailing father Carl, has told the Daily Mail that his family will continue to fight after a Los Angeles judge excused the actor from taking the witness stand during Friday’s hearing.
‘Although the judge didn’t rule in our favor, we will still fight back to get Orlando to testify as we know he is intrinsically involved,’ Chart, 40, insisted.
Orlando, 48, who split from Katy earlier this year, was dragged into the case last fall after being served a subpoena and was named in the joint witness list, which was filed on July 28.
Katy’s legal team has been fighting for her ex-fiancé to not have to take the stand, even though Carl’s team has argued that the A-listers are both ‘key eyewitnesses with personal knowledge as to the scope of work, construction plans, and construction costs.’
The judge, according to a Daily Mail reporter who attended the hearing, said that he only needed the testimony of the contractors themselves and added: ‘Why do we need Mr. Bloom to (give testimony), other than making this a celebrity circus?’
Chart Westcott, the Attorney-in-Fact for his ailing father Carl, has revealed to the Daily Mail that his family will continue to fight for Orlando Bloom (pictured) to have to testify in court after a judge ruled against the family
Katy Perry was ordered to testify in person by a Los Angeles judge over her $15M Montecito mansion, which she’s seeking up to $6 million in damages
Chart (pictured with wife Catlett) told the Daily Mail: ‘She can’t use celebrity privilege in this case and will have to show up like any normal person. We are prepared to face her at trial’
Katy, for her part, was ordered to appear in person at the six-day non-jury trial, which is set to begin on August 21 in Los Angeles, and the judge stated that he will limit the time of her testimony and cross examination to ‘no more than two hours.’
It is unclear on which date the 40-year-old popstar will make an appearance, given she’s in the midst of her Lifetimes Tour.
However, the Daily Mail confirmed that she will testify.
‘Katy having to appear in court is a win for us since we can face her in the eyes and she can see the monstrous effect she’s had on our family,’ Chart said.
‘She can’t use celebrity privilege in this case and will have to show up like any normal person. We are prepared to face her at trial.’
In 2020, after purchasing the house two months earlier, Carl had agreed to sell his 9,000 sq. ft. home sitting on a 2.5-acre lot to Katy for $15 million, but days later tried to nix the deal claiming he was under the influence of painkillers when he signed.
A court ruled in Katy’s favor in 2023, finding that the contract was legitimate, and the Dark Horse singer was declared the legal owner of the gated 1930s eight-bedroom estate which also boasts a tennis court, two guesthouses and a pool.
The judge said Carl presented no credible or persuasive evidence that he lacked capacity to enter into a real estate contract between June 10 and June 18, 2020, the days during which he negotiated and signed the contract.
The judge also said the court found significant evidence that demonstrated Carl was well enough to knowingly sign on the dotted line stating the entrepreneur to be ‘coherent, engaged, lucid, and rational.’
Orlando, who confirmed his split from Perry last month, was dragged into his now-ex’s legal battle after being served a subpoena. He’s named in the witness list, which was filed on July 28
Chart told the Daily Mail: ‘Although the judge didn’t rule in our favor, we will still fight back to get Orlando to testify as we know he is intrinsically involved’
A court ruled in Katy’s favor in 2023, finding that the contract was legitimate, and the Dark Horse singer was declared the legal owner of the gated 1930s eight-bedroom estate
The house, which the popstar took possession of in May 2024, was purchased under the LLC, DDoveB (named after Daisy Dove Bloom), which was registered by Orlando along with business managers Richard Feldstein and Mabel Tash.
It’s now being rented out by fellow A-listers Chris Pratt and his wife Katherine Schwarzenegger as they build their new home.
The ongoing court battle is over Katy wanting to knock $6 million off the price for alleged damages to the home – she has only paid $9 million of the $15 million price in escrow – citing structural defects, deferred maintenance, and lost rental income.
She has claimed that she is entitled to $3.25 million in damages for ‘loss of use’ for the time that Carl would not turn over possession of the home, under the contract, and also wants $2.29 million in new alleged repair damages (bringing the total to $5.4 million – close to the $6 million she owes).
The Westcott family has denied the damages to the Daily Mail and called the claims ‘spurious and egregious’ – while a source close to Katy argued that the ‘recovery of costs is perfectly normal in civil litigation.’
Chart, a Dallas-based private investor, previously called the lawsuit ‘shocking’ since he believed the songstress could just ‘let the old man go on his way.’
‘It’s entitled celebrity behavior,’ he told The U.S. Sun in February. ‘She has no sense of fair play, no empathy, zero empathy, quite the opposite.’
Perry is in the midst of her The Lifetimes Tour, which has show dates surrounding the upcoming six-day non-jury trial. The trial kicks off on August 21
Chart Westcott (center) has been named the Attorney-in-Fact for his ailing father Carl, who is currently receiving hospice care for Huntington’s disease (pictured with brother Court)
According to a July court document filed by Carl’s attorney, he argued that ‘Perry’s counsel flatly refused in a series of approximately half a dozen meet and confer emails to even disclose if repairs had been done and also flatly refused to stipulate to any reinspection of the house or to the deposition of anyone in Perry’s control, including Perry, her boyfriend Bloom who at inspections had stated he would be in charge of repairs, [Bernie] Gudvi (Perry’s business manager), or the two contractors who at their depositions testified they were general contractors, but produced zero contracts for the work covered by their summary estimates.’
So far, 16 contractors who allegedly worked on repairs were all served with deposition subpoenas that contained extensive Requests for Production of Documents, and are listed on the witness list.
Katy will be examined on ‘all aspects of her damages claims for loss of use and repairs,’ and questioned about her claim of needing to rent another house, and ‘her rental of the house to Chris Pratt or anyone else,’ according to the joint trial witness list (which can be modified prior to the trial starting).
As the parties continue to battle it out, Carl remains bedridden and continues to receive hospice care for Huntington’s disease.
Chart, whose brother Court is married to Real Housewives of Dallas alum Kameron Westcott, told the Daily Mail that he’s ‘still very ill’ and ‘he’s just wasting away.’
‘For this to be the last thing, the last sort of business transaction that he’s even aware of is horrible and sad,’ he said.
Daily Mail has reached out to reps for Katy, Orlando and Bernie Gudvi for comment.
