Carl Westcott and his family pitched the legislation after Katy Perry’s business manager, Bernie Gudvi, purchased Westcott’s Montecito, California, estate on behalf of the “The Voice” judge and her husband Orlando Bloom in July 2020. This was just two months after Westcott bought the home for $11,250,000. A week after making the deal with Gudvi, Westcott said he wanted out of the sale.
As noted, Westcott claims he was of “unsound mind” when he agreed to sell his home since he had been taking opioids after undergoing six hours of back surgery caused by his Huntington’s disease, a degenerative brain disease that can affect cognition and causes psychiatric disorders and eventually is fatal (via the Mayo Clinic). Per his complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, he decided to renege on the deal after he was “mentally clear again,” saying he wanted to live in the Santa Barbara home “for the rest of his life,” and have a home that’s safe and comfortable for seniors like him who suffer from disease progression.
But Gudvi and his clients countered, arguing that Westcott was totally “competent” throughout the transaction. While Perry and Bloom aren’t named in the actual lawsuit against Gudvi, they’re countersuing for lost rent and other damages. The trial for the lawsuit began in late September while The PERRY Act is being promoted by the Westcott Family for elected officials to consider sponsoring.