• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026

2

'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream

3

Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI

1

Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026

2

'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream

3

Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Arts & EntertainmentLuxury

Katy Perry’s latest real-estate courtroom circus has pregnancy mix-ups, Trudeau gossip, and an 85-year-old foe

By
Andrew Dalton
Andrew Dalton
and
The Associated Press
The Associated Press
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Andrew Dalton
Andrew Dalton
and
The Associated Press
The Associated Press
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 27, 2025, 9:56 AM ET
Katy Perry attends a dress in grey glitter.
Katy Perry is currently in litigation with an 85-year-old elderly man over her mansion. Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

A lawyer asked Katy Perry on Tuesday whether she stood to gain money or anything else from a trial in a long legal fight over a California mansion.

Recommended Video

“Justice” was the one-word answer from the singing superstar, former “American Idol” judge and recent astronaut, part of an hour of remote testimony she gave in a Los Angeles courtroom.

In her tense, careful testimony, Perry wouldn’t concede directly that she stood to gain money if she won, but did say, “I stand to lose money if it doesn’t work in my favor.”

She spoke during the second trial in a dispute over a $15 million mansion in upscale Montecito near Santa Barbara that she and former partner Orlando Bloom bought in 2020.

The seller, 85-year-old Carl Westcott, said he was not mentally competent to make the deal and sued to undo it.

Perry’s side — technically the defendant was her business manager, Bernie Gudvi — prevailed in the first trial in 2023. Then Gudvi, representing Perry, countersued over lost rental income brought on by the legal fight and millions in maintenance the house allegedly required. That brought on the current sequel trial.

Westcott’s lawyer, Andrew J. Thomas, often tried to steer the conversation toward Bloom. Superior Court Judge Joseph Lipner ruled that the “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Lord of the Rings” actor does not have to testify because it would be redundant and unnecessary, even though the house is officially owned by a company he set up.

Asked if she had any role in a remodel of the house Bloom oversaw, Perry replied that she acted as “partner and adviser.”

The couple, who split up in July, have a daughter together whose fifth birthday was Tuesday.

When asked about the nature of their partnership, Perry replied, “We’re family for life.”

Perry’s attorney, Eric Rowen, objected to nearly every question by Thomas as irrelevant, including most of the queries about Bloom, which Lipner kept to a minimum.

Rowen objected especially angrily when Perry was asked if she knew that Westcott had entered a mental institution earlier in the legal fight, apparently suggesting the question was an attack for the sake of the media present.

“This is, I don’t want to say unethical, but this is simply an effort to drive a narrative to parties outside this courtroom,” Rowen said. The judge sustained his objection and the question was not allowed.

The judge and lawyers referred to Perry as “Miss Hudson.” Her legal name is Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson.

She’s currently in the middle of an international tour, and has recently been tied to former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It wasn’t clear where she was during Tuesday’s questioning.

Thomas asked Perry repeatedly whether she had had enough cash on hand to buy the $15 million mansion outright.

“I could have,” she eventually said, “but I wanted to do a mortgage instead.”

Perry conceded that in the previous trial, she said she intended to live in the mansion, not to rent it out. But renters including the family of actor Chris Pratt are central to this trial. There was discussion of having Pratt testify, but he was not on the final witness list.

There was one light moment at the end of Perry’s testimony when she described some dealings with Westcott and said, “I was pregnant at the time.”

She couldn’t be heard clearly and Lipner said he had heard, “It was private.”

“No, pregnant!” Perry said with a laugh.

Perry’s own lawyer declined to cross-examine her and the judge excused her.

Like the previous trial, this one has no jury, and Lipner will decide the outcome. Perry’s testimony came on the fourth day of proceedings that are expected to go on for two more days.

It’s not the first long public fight Perry has had over a property. She previously sparred in court with an order of nuns who fought to stop the sale of a convent she had bought. She prevailed in that case.

She also testified in a lawsuit that alleged she and her co-writers had stolen key elements of her hit song “Dark Horse” from a Christian musician. She lost at trial, but won on appeal.

The Fortune 500 Innovation Forum will convene Fortune 500 executives, U.S. policy officials, top founders, and thought leaders to help define what’s next for the American economy, Nov. 16-17 in Detroit. Apply here.
About the Authors
By Andrew Dalton
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By The Associated Press
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
SuccessThe Interview Playbook
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 18, 2026
4 hours ago
knicks
Arts & EntertainmentNew York City
The Knicks have won 3 NBA titles, but their first parade was held up for 55 years by a budget crisis and a rejected $372 expense report
By Jennifer Peltz and The Associated PressJune 17, 2026
20 hours ago
y
Arts & EntertainmentHollywood
Meet the YouTubers remaking Hollywood, one Gen Z box-office smash at a time
By The Associated PressJune 17, 2026
21 hours ago
Exclusive: Universal beat Disney as Hollywood’s maker of the most expensive movie of all time 
Arts & EntertainmentNBC Universal
Exclusive: Universal beat Disney as Hollywood’s maker of the most expensive movie of all time 
By Christian SyltJune 17, 2026
24 hours ago
butter
RetailFashion
Welcome to the summer of ‘Butter Yellow,’ the shade of consumer anxiety
By Nick LichtenbergJune 16, 2026
2 days ago
tt
RetailRetail
Target turnaround adds Isaac Mizrahi as creative director at large
By Anne D'Innocenzio and The Associated PressJune 16, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 17, 2026
22 hours ago
'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream
Success
'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream
By Nick LichtenbergJune 16, 2026
2 days ago
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Big Tech
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
By Tristan BoveJune 15, 2026
3 days ago
Exclusive: Universal beat Disney as Hollywood's maker of the most expensive movie of all time 
Arts & Entertainment
Exclusive: Universal beat Disney as Hollywood's maker of the most expensive movie of all time 
By Christian SyltJune 17, 2026
24 hours ago
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
Economy
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
By Jacqueline MunisJune 17, 2026
14 hours ago
Current price of silver as of Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Wednesday, June 17, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 17, 2026
22 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.