Chris Pratt has been drawn into a legal dispute that resumed in a Los Angeles court on Thursday between Katy Perry and the Wescott family concerning the singer’s $15 million mansion.
In 2020, Carl Wescott, a U.S. Army veteran and the founder of 1-800-Flowers, filed a lawsuit against Perry’s business manager, Bernie Gudvi. Gudvi represented the “Firework” singer during the purchase of the Santa Barbara-area mansion in July 2020.
Wescott sought to rescind the agreement he made to sell his 8.9-acre estate to Perry for $15 million, despite having purchased the property just two months earlier for approximately $11 million.
Though Pratt has not been deposed or required to appear in court, his involvement may strengthen Perry’s claim for funds owed after the sale, according to attorney Christopher C. Melcher. The trial, which began last year, has been divided into two phases, and Perry has been ordered to testify in this month’s damages phase.
“Westcott’s defense is that the home could not have had mold and other major issues because Perry rented the place to Chris Pratt,” Melcher told Fox News Digital.
“But repairs could have been made by Perry before renting the home to Pratt.
“If so, the subsequent condition of the home when Pratt was a tenant is not relevant to what the home looked like when Perry got the keys,” Melcher added.
At the time of sale, Carl sought a rescission of contract after claiming he “lacked capacity” to sign the transaction due to a recent surgery and brain disorder.
However, in November 2023, Judge Joseph Lipner ruled that Gudvi was entitled to the sale of the Montecito home purchased on Perry’s behalf in 2020. On May 17, 2024, Perry took legal ownership after the deed was recorded.
Per court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, Pratt – who has been renting and residing in the Montecito home with his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, and their children – has been named as a witness by the Wescott family, who have requested that the judge question him on the “condition” of the home and any problems with the terms of his lease agreement with Perry.
“Now, just before the Phase 2 Trial, there is new, never-before disclosed evidence that Perry has rented out the Westcott Property to the actor Chris Pratt and his wife (the daughter of Maria Shriver, who the Court will recall from Cristal Clarke’s Phase 1 Trial testimony was bidding against Perry in 2020 to buy the Westcott Property, which is why Perry increased her original $13.5 offer to Westcott to the agreed-on $15 million price),” the court documents, which were filed on July 31, state.
Following a five-year feud, Perry is set to take the stand on August 26th to testify in the six-day, non-jury trial. She is seeking up to $4.8 million in damages – including an additional $2 million for damages to the property – citing structural defects, deferred maintenance, and lost rental income.
“The $2.29 million in estimated repairs was bogus and Perry was able to rent the Westcott Property as-is to Chris Pratt (for what some have rumored to be $150,000 in rent just for this summer),” the documents state.
