Katy Perry testified on Tuesday that she is seeking "justice" in the ongoing legal battle over a $15 million mansion in Montecito, near Santa Barbara. Perry and her former partner, Orlando Bloom, purchased the home in 2020. However, the seller, Carl Westcott, an 85-year-old veteran, attempted to rescind the deal shortly after, claiming he lacked the mental capacity to make such an agreement.

The initial trial concluded in 2023, with the court ruling in favor of Perry’s side, technically her business manager, Bernie Gudvi. Subsequently, Gudvi, representing Perry, filed a countersuit seeking damages for lost rental income and millions in maintenance costs allegedly required for the property. This countersuit has led to the current trial.

During her remote testimony in a Los Angeles courtroom, Perry carefully avoided directly conceding that she stood to gain money if she won the trial. However, she stated, "I stand to lose money if it doesn't work in my favor". Westcott's lawyer, Andrew J. Thomas, attempted to steer the questioning toward Orlando Bloom, but Judge Joseph Lipner ruled that Bloom's testimony would be redundant and unnecessary, even though the house is officially owned by a company Bloom set up. Perry stated that she acted as a "partner and adviser" in the remodel of the house Bloom oversaw.

The legal battle has been a protracted one. Westcott's family has indicated a willingness to forgive Perry if she apologizes for dragging them through the trial. Westcott's son, Chart, stated that Perry had shown "not one ounce of grace or dignity" to his father.

Perry's legal team claims she lost rental income and had to spend millions in repairs due to damages. They allege that experts found "significant portions needed to be repaired, including nearly a million dollars in pervasive flood damage… and substantial repairs that are needed due to a large tree falling on and cracking the foundation". Perry’s attorneys later demanded an additional $2.2 million in alleged repairs.

Thomas questioned Perry about her ability to purchase the mansion outright with cash. Perry admitted she could have, but chose to take out a mortgage instead. She also conceded that she had previously stated her intention to live in the mansion, not rent it out. The family of actor Chris Pratt are among those who rented the property, and there was discussion of having Pratt testify, but he was not on the final witness list.

This isn't the first time Perry has been involved in a drawn-out property dispute. She previously fought in court with an order of nuns who attempted to block the sale of a convent she had purchased, a case she ultimately won. She also testified in a lawsuit alleging she and her co-writers stole elements of her hit song "Dark Horse," losing at trial but winning on appeal.

In the initial ruling in December 2023, the judge stated that Westcott "presented no persuasive evidence that he lacked capacity to enter into a real estate contract between June 10, 2020, and June 18, 2020,” adding there was proof he was "coherent, engaged, lucid, and rational” when signing. The judge's ruling was based on witness testimony and the analysis of Wescott's retained expert, Dr. Gary Small, a psychiatrist who never personally met Westcott.