Popstar Katy Perry and her husband Orlando Bloom have emerged victorious in a three-year legal battle against a disabled veteran over the sale of his $15 million Montecito home.
In July 2020, 84-year-old Carl Westcott signed a real estate contract agreeing to sell the 8.9-acre estate in Santa Barbara to Perry.
However, he later claimed to have been under the influence of opioids and painkillers due to major back surgery at the time of signing.
Westcott, who suffers from Huntington's Disease, asserted that he only realized the implications of the contract after the effects of the painkillers wore off, prompting him to attempt to rescind the agreement.
Nevertheless, a Los Angeles judge ruled in favour of the celebrity couple on Wednesday. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Joseph Lipner stated that Westcott presented no convincing evidence that he lacked the capacity to enter into a real estate contract.
According to People, Perry's attorney Eric Rowen said in a statement to Rolling Stone, 'The evidence shows that Mr. Westcott breached the contract for no other reason than he had changed his mind. We look forward to wrapping this matter up at the scheduled damage trial phase set for February 13 and 14, if not before.'
In addition to their legal victory, Perry and Bloom have demanded millions of dollars in lost rent from Westcott that they could have charged for the eight-bedroom home