{"id":42694,"date":"2025-08-01T22:46:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T22:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/01\/orlando-bloom-wont-testify-in-katy-perrys-15-million-mansion-war\/"},"modified":"2025-08-01T22:46:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T22:46:00","slug":"orlando-bloom-wont-testify-in-katy-perrys-15-million-mansion-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/01\/orlando-bloom-wont-testify-in-katy-perrys-15-million-mansion-war\/","title":{"rendered":"Orlando Bloom Won\u2019t Testify in Katy Perry’s $15 Million Mansion War"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n\tOrlando Bloom<\/a> is off the hook. The Pirates of the Caribbean <\/em>actor will not be required to testify at an upcoming trial involving the $15 million California mansion that plunged his former fianc\u00e9e<\/a> Katy Perry<\/a> into a headline-grabbing real estate war<\/a> with 85-year-old Texas millionaire Carl Westcott.<\/p>\n

\n\tAt a hearing on Friday, Los Angeles County Judge Joseph Lipner ruled that Bloom\u2019s proposed testimony, sought by Westcott, appeared duplicative and would only serve to waste time. The bench trial, set to begin Aug. 21, is due to determine the damages Westcott owes Perry after she prevailed at a prior trial on the issue of liability<\/a>. Westcott\u2019s lawyer previously argued Bloom is key to the case because he\u2019s the one who showed up for inspections at the home in April 2024 and stated he would be handling repairs on behalf of Perry. Westcott wanted to question Bloom about how much the repairs ended up costing. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhy do you need Mr. Bloom to do that, other than to make it a celebrity circus?\u201d Judge Lipner asked before making his ruling. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you just talk to the construction person who actually did it?\u201d (In a prior filing opposing Bloom\u2019s testimony, lawyers representing Perry\u2019s business manager said the subpoena for Bloom\u2019s testimony was meant \u201cto harass Mr. Bloom so as to further sensationalize and turn the narrow scope of this remedies phase of the trial into a media circus.\u201d)<\/p>\n

\n\tThe battle over the Montecito mansion started soon after Westcott signed the the sales contract with Perry in July 2020. Almost immediately, the businessman sought to undo the deal. He, his family, and his lawyers would go on to claim he was suffering from a degenerative brain disease, symptoms of dementia, post-operative delirium, and the effects of heavy pain killers following a lengthy back surgery when he finalized the contract. At the liability trial in 2023, Perry and her lawyers brought in text messages, emails, and witness testimony showing Westcott was alert and cognizant <\/a>during his sale of the luxury estate. They showed Westcott was so engaged, he even courted a rival bid from yet another high-profile interested buyer, Maria Shriver, before going with Perry.<\/p>\n

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\n\tThough Perry initially faced public backlash over allegations she tried to push an elderly, ailing veteran out of his home against his wishes, the trial revealed that Westcott purchased the coastal estate on May 29, 2020, just six weeks before signing his deal with Perry\u2019s representative, Bernie Gudvi. Lawyers for Gudvi argued that Westcott badgered his broker about when Perry\u2019s initial offer was expected to land, rejected her initial $13.5 million bid, signed a counteroffer for $15 million on July 15, 2020, actively organized Perry\u2019s tour of his property on July 17, 2020, agreed to extend the deadline on his counteroffer when the initial deadline lapsed, and criticized his agent for requesting a five percent commission.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn his 2023 ruling siding with Perry and ratifying the deal, the judge noted that Westcott\u2019s own medical expert failed to \u201coffer a cogent explanation\u201d that would allow the court to find Westcott \u201clacked competence\u201d to sign the sales contract.<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter Perry prevailed at the initial trial, she placed $9 million in escrow and took control of the property in April 2024, leaving the remaining $6 million of the purchase price unpaid pending the outcome of the damages phase. She now alleges the four years she had to wait to take control of the property caused her to lose more than $3 million in fair-market rental income. She also alleges Westcott\u2019s \u201clack of maintenance\u201d while the litigation was pending caused $2.29 million in necessary repairs to get the property back up to the condition it was in when she purchased the luxury property. (The estate includes a main house, a three-bedroom guest house, a one-bedroom pool house, a gym building, a pool, and an equipment building.)<\/p>\n

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\n\tIn court filings, Perry and her reps allege the house suffered \u201cpervasive flood damage\u201d in early 2024 and had a large tree fall on a structure, cracking its foundation. Westcott claims Perry has only produced estimates for the repair work, not final contracts or receipts. <\/p>\n

\n\tAt the hearing Friday, Westcott\u2019s lawyer, Andrew J. Thomas, argued his client was entitled to information on what the repairs ended up costing. He said the house has since been rented to actor Chris Pratt and his wife Katherine Schwarzenegger, Shriver\u2019s daughter, so he was confident the work was completed. <\/p>\n

\n\tPerry\u2019s lawyer said Westcott knew the work started last year and failed to seek information before the discovery deadline. He also said Perry isn\u2019t seeking \u201creimbursement\u201d for her completed work because she wasn\u2019t obligated to restore the house and ultimately made some changes. He claimed the onus was on Westcott to hand over the house in its purchase agreement condition, and for that reason, the estimates Perry submitted reflected what it would have cost to get the property back to the original condition.<\/p>\n

\n\tThough Bloom is now off-limits, Perry, 40, is expected to testify at the damages trial, likely by video, considering she\u2019s now on a world tour. The judge said he planned to limit her time under oath to one hour.<\/p>\n

\n\tWestcott\u2019s lawyer said he wanted assurances Perry would be focused during that time. \u201cShe should not schedule herself with other people, nor should she have assistants bringing her coffee and chocolate-covered coffee beans, or whatever it was she was doing at her deposition,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cIf she\u2019s going to be here [in person], that\u2019s one thing. But if she\u2019s gonna be on video, we need to know who\u2019s around her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAlex Linhardt, a lawyer for Perry\u2019s camp, made a point of disputing \u201cthe characterization\u201d of Perry\u2019s deposition. \u201cShe was very professional,\u201d he said in court.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\u201cI\u2019m not going to restrict her from getting coffee or snacks,\u201d the judge said from the bench. \u201cBut we should know, if she\u2019s on video, who\u2019s in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tPerry has been in the news repeatedly this year. She took an 11-minute trip to sub-orbital space<\/a> aboard one of billionaire Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin rockets in April, shortly before news of her split from Bloom surfaced in June. This week, she was spotted dining out<\/a> with Justin Trudeau, the former prime minister of Canada. He later popped up at her concert<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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