Katy Perry Seeks $5 Million in Damages Over Disputed Mansion

Katy Perry is entitled to nearly $5 million in damages in her legal fight over the $15 million Montecito estate she purchased from the founder of 1-800-Flowers, said her attorneys Thursday, who also agreed that she’ll testify Tuesday.

The $4.87 million number presented during opening statements was about $1 million less than requested in court filings. It dropped all requests to fund repair needs allegedly observed by Perry around the time the sale was meant to close, in an effort to distance the “California Gurls” singer, born Katheryn Hudson, from the case.

However, the pop star, who’s currently on an international tour thousands of miles from the unfashionable state courtroom where her Los Angeles bench trial has begun, still looms large over the proceedings.

“Her personal relationships have nothing to do with this,” her attorney Eric Rowen told Judge Joseph Lipner before opening statements. “Her other issues and matters that have been spread in the press have nothing to do with this.”

Timing her appearance was its own challenge. Andrew Thomas, counsel for Carl Westcott, the estate’s prior owner, said his team was informed late Wednesday evening that Perry—called only as a witness for Westcott’s side—would only be available the next day to testify out-of-order.

Lipner of California Superior Court, Los Angeles County, called the short notice “outrageous.”

“It doesn’t reflect well on you,” he told her lawyers. “It doesn’t reflect well on Ms. Hudson.”

The parties settled on calling Perry to testify for one hour Tuesday morning, after Rowen left the courtroom to make calls.

Repairs Dispute

The updated damages figure accounts for the lost rental value of the mansion over a three-and-a-half year period as the dispute over its ownership played out in Los Angeles court, plus repairs for a fallen tree and flooding, according to Linhardt. A boiler burst in April 2024 and six feet of hot water submerged a basement of the property’s main house, Linhardt said.

Thomas, Westcott’s lawyer, deferred opening statements to the start of his case, likely to begin next week. Westcott’s counsel argued in court filings the singer is exaggerating.

Perry rented the mansion to actor Chris Pratt and his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, suggesting she either made repairs after the discovery cutoff or is inflating the extent to which they’re needed, Westcott’s filings said.

Perry won the right to purchase the property in 2023, after Lipner found painkillers Carl Westcott used for a major surgery didn’t prevent him from striking the deal in 2020.

The estate includes a main house, a three-bedroom guest house, a one-bedroom pool house, and a gym, according to court filings.

Gudvi’s attorneys said in court filings they’re also owed $3 million in attorneys’ fees for the litigation that’s stretched across five years. Westcott’s attorneys said the 86-year-old is entitled to an offset of the damages for the time he couldn’t use Perry’s purchase funds.

The bench trial on the damages is expected to last about a week.

Greenberg Traurig LLP represents Gudvi. The Law Office of Andrew J. Thomas and Ulwelling Law represents Westcott.

The case is Westcott v. Gudvi, Cal. Super. Ct., No. 20STCV29664, opening arguments 8/21/25.