A man who claims he sold his home to Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom while heavily medicated is going to trial for his lawsuit against the real estate sale.
Carl Westcott originally filed a complaint on the sale of his Santa Barbara, California, residence to the pop singer and actor in August 2020, claiming he was of "unsound mind" after taking "several intoxicating pain-killing opiates" that had been prescribed to him, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY from the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Perry and Bloom are not named as parties in the suit, but business manager Bernie Gudvi − who represented the couple during the sale of Westcott's home — is listed as the primary defendant.
A non-jury trial for the lawsuit is scheduled for Aug. 21 at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles, according to the court's case file for Westcott’s complaint.
USA TODAY has reached out to Gudvi, as well as Perry and Bloom's representatives, for comment.
In July 2020, Westcott was presented with an offer to sell his recently purchased home to Perry and Bloom for $15 million, according to the original lawsuit. The business proposal came just days after Westcott, who has Huntington's disease, underwent a six-hour back surgery. Upon release from the hospital, Westcott was prescribed numerous medications for his recovery that allegedly left him in an intoxicated state.
A week after signing the contract, Westcott had a change of heart when he realized he "had not been himself due to the combination of his age, frailty, Huntington’s disease, the six-hour surgery and especially the intoxicating effects of the opiate pain killers he had been taking several times each day," per the complaint.
Westcott subsequently emailed brokerage firm Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, which acted as a dual agent for the home's seller and buyer, explaining he had been under the influence of pain medication and didn’t want to sell his home, the filing states.
In response, Westcott was given a letter from Perry and Bloom describing the couple's interest in purchasing the home, according to the complaint. Westcott remained adamant that he couldn't sell his home as the then 80-year-old was in "the final few years of his life."
Following his refusal to sell his home, Westcott received another letter from an attorney representing Gudvi, Perry and Bloom, per Westcott's lawsuit. The letter stated Perry and Bloom were "not willing to walk away from purchasing Mr. Westcott’s home and he is obligated to complete the sale."
Due to the alleged circumstances under which his home was sold, Westcott is seeking cancellation of the residential sale agreement he entered, as well as associated standard real estate forms, the filing states. Additional relief would include litigation and attorneys' fees.
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