As Katy Perry prepares to take the stand in court, a bill named after her could be coming to DC.
The «Fireworks» singer and her partner Orlando Bloom are currently embroiled in a legal battle with Carl Westcott, 84, founder of 1-800-Flowers, who claims he was taking painkillers when he agreed to sell the couple his Santa Mansion Barbara. Perry and Bloom are not named in Westcott’s filing, which goes against the couple’s business manager, Bernie Gudvi.
As the trial progresses, members of the Wescott family are throwing their support behind a recently launched campaign for the Protecting Real Estate for the Elderly During the Retirement Years (PERRY) Act. «The Katy PERRY Act addresses the risks of elder financial abuse, especially as it relates to sales and transfers of property and real estate,» an law website explains.
Representatives for Perry did not immediately respond to EW’s request for comment.
In an op-ed for The Federalist, Carl Wescott’s son Chart Wescott called on California and other state lawmakers to pass the law, which establishes a 72-hour grace period during real estate sales and transfers of personal residences. which allows either party to terminate the agreement without penalty, if one of the parties is over 75 years of age.
The website also lists the 38 state and local politicians who support the law.
According to PEOPLE, Perry and Bloom originally purchased the 9,285-square-foot home from Wescott in July 2020 for $15 million. Days after the deal was closed, Wescott claimed that he had been recovering from spinal surgery at the time of the deal.
During his opening statements last Wednesday, Westcott’s attorney, Andrew Thomas, said his client, who was diagnosed with the genetic brain disorder Huntington’s disease in 2015, had been showing signs of «delusion» and «thoughts.» intrusive» after taking painkillers and was still recovering from «Postoperative Delirium.»
In a countersuit, Perry seeks more than $5 million in damages for loss of potential rental income and for the cost of maintaining other properties she and Bloom rent. She is expected to testify remotely this week in the bench trial that began last Wednesday.
