Singer Katy Perry is embroiled in a legal battle over the purchase of a property in California four years ago. At the other end of the lawsuit is an 85-year-old war veteran who is currently in a mental hospital. The singer's new resolve to demand $5.5 million in damages from him has not gone down too well with the internet. 

Katy Perry's demand for $5.5 million

In 2020, Katy had signed an agreement to purchase a property in Santa Barbara from Carl Wescott for $15 million after initially offering $13.5 million. However, In Touch Weekly has now reported that Katy has submitted documents to the court saying she’s owed over $5.5 million from Carl for damages the house has seen.

In 2020, Carl sued Katy’s business manager, Bernie Gudvi, saying that the deal should be nullified as 'he was heavily medicated following back surgery when he executed the deal'. Katy, however, refused to back out of the deal. In 2023, the court ordered that Katy was in the right and that the house be handed over to her. However, the singer claimed that the house had seen lots of damage in the three years since and demanded money for the repairs. The parties are preparing for phase two of the trial, during which Katy will make the case for damages.

What Carl Wescott says

Court documents show that Katy claims the damage is worth $5.5 million, which Carl Wescott's team has scoffed at. “This is the house that Katy Perry bought — she is not entitled to a disguised remodel at Mr Westcott’s expense," his legal team stated in the motion submitted to the court, as reported by In Touch.

Katy has reportedly called 25 witnesses to testify about the 'negligence' on Carl's part in the house's upkeep. But Carl's team says, "The elderly Mr Westcott, as the court knows, has been in a residential mental health hospital for dementia since September 2021. This court may have ruled that Mr. Westcott must sell his home, but before allowing Katy Perry to pay a sick old man just $9 million of the agreed $15 million price, Mr. Westcott deserves the right to perform the discovery and trial preparation the case deserves in light of Katy Perry’s new army of expert witnesses.”

Since the news broke, the internet has not been kind to Katy Perry, with many comments saying she was 'exploiting' Carl. Some argued for her and her legal team to be more respectful towards the ageing former war veteran. Others, however, defended the singer, saying the court found that she was in the right and that she must get her due.

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