Katy Perry in Real Estate Flap with 84-Year-Old; Law Named for Perry Proposed to Protect Seniors

Pop star Katy Perry and her husband, "Lord of the Rings" actor Orlando Bloom, are embroiled in a suit over a $15 million house. The 84-year-old owner says he was on pain meds when he agreed to sell, and he wants to escape the contract. What's more, the man's son, together with other family members, proposed a new law called the Protecting Elder Realty for Retirement Years Act – or, for short, The Katy PERRY Act – purportedly to safeguard against "the risks of elder financial abuse, especially as it relates to property..."

Stereogum reported that Perry and Bloom bought the property "from 84-year-old Carl Westcott in 2020."

"Westcott, an entrepreneur who founded 1-800-Flowers, claims that he was on prescribed painkillers due to a back surgery when he signed the contract to sell the house and, after realizing he was of 'unsound mind,' tried to back out of the deal."

Westcott "sued Perry's business manager Bernie Gudvi, saying that he could not consent to the contract," according to Stereogum.

But "Perry's lawyers claim that Westcott was 'more than rational' during the selling process," the site adddc, "and that he was already searching for a new home" at the time of the sale.

The pop star, in her turn, "is asking the court for the property, lawyers fees, and almost $6 million dollars to cover the cost of a similar rental and damages for lost revenue that she would have earned."

Stereogum noted this is not the first time Perry has had to go to court over a real estate deal. "You might recall her years-long trial involving a group of nuns and a Los Angeles convent, which Perry bought from the Archdiocese around the same time that the nuns tried to sell it to a different buyer," the site said. "Perry came out on top of that trial, but not before an 89-year-old nun collapsed and died in court."

Meanwhile, Unilad reported, "Westcott's son, Chart, and the rest of his family are now fronting an act called Protecting Elder Realty for Retirement Years Act, also dubbed 'The Katy PERRY act.'"

Citing the act's website, the article quoted: "The Katy PERRY Act addresses the risks of elder financial abuse, especially as it relates to property and real estate sales and transfers."

"The Act establishes a 72 hour cool-down period during which either party involved in a contract for conveyance of a personal residence, in which one party is over the age of 75, can rescind the agreement without penalty."

Pointing to statistics about increasing rates of fraud that target older Americans, the site added: "There are currently no laws to protect senior citizens against real estate transactions that unfairly target older individuals whose mental capacities may be compromised at the time of sale."

"The PERRY Act addresses the risks of elder financial abuse, especially as it relates to property and real estate sales and transfers."