If you thought Katy Perry’s political influence stopped with her belting “Firework” in front of the up-lit Lincoln Memorial for President Biden’s inauguration, then boy were you wrong. Perry’s latest legal battle with an octogenarian over real estate has inspired a pledge called the Katy PERRY Act, unveiled this weekend, that a few dozen local and state legislators have endorsed.
“The Katy PERRY Act addresses the risks of elder financial abuse, especially as it relates to property and real estate sales and transfers,” a website for the act explains. Behind it is the family of 84-year-old Carl Westcott, the 1-800-Flowers founder who Perry and husband Orlando Bloom purchased a $15 million Montecito mansion from in July 2020.
The PERRY Act stands for “Protecting Elder Realty for Retirement Years” Act and so far has the backing of 38 bipartisan state and local politicians, according to its website. Its goal is to keep anyone over the age of 70 at least 50 yards from Katy Perry. Just kidding...
“This legislation will enhance protections for older Americans and those with degenerative diseases by instituting common sense approaches, including a 72-hour grace period for certain real estate sales and transfers,” the website explains. So, senior citizens who might make miscalculated or poor legal decisions would have time to reverse said decisions without penalty. “We...pledge our commitment to introducing and supporting legislation,” the act’s website says.
The Westcott family, which includes a former Real Housewife of Dallas, Kameron “anti-racism is racism” Westcott, claims that Carl was not in the right state of mind to sell his new home when he signed the deed over to Perry and Bloom. Carl had just gotten back surgery, and the prescription opiates he was taking plus the mental decline he’s suffered from living with Huntington’s disease affected his decision making, they said. He’d only purchased the home two months earlier and had planned to make it his forever home when a representative for Perry and Bloom approached him about selling.
Carl sued Perry and Bloom to stop the deal, followed by the couple countersuing him. The trial began last Thursday, and Perry is expected to testify.
The sentiment behind the PERRY Act makes sense. As a nation, we’re in the midst of the biggest intergenerational wealth transfer in history. According to Forbes, an estimated $30 trillion is being passed down from Boomers to their kin. There ought to be protections in place to make sure elderly folks holding this wealth aren’t being taken advantage of. But it’s worth noting that the folks behind a pledge that is intended to take opportunists to task are, well, opportunistically introducing it at a time when they’re meeting Perry in court over this very issue. Noble? Well, certainly convenient!
“When his time comes, I want my father to be remembered for the years he spent serving his country, his numerous successful businesses, his robust family life, and his kind, caring heart. I don’t want him to be remembered as Katy Perry’s latest victim,” Chart Westcott, Carl’s son, wrote in The Federalist on Monday. Taylor Swift could’ve said the same thing mere years ago...
Jezebel reached out to a representative for Perry but has not yet heard back.