Katy Perry and LA Archdiocese Win Big in Convent Battle With Nuns
Katy Perry and the Los Angeles Archdiocese may be receiving a multi-million dollar victory after facing off against some nuns in the area over the sale of a convent.
For years Perry, the 33-year-old pop star, has been attempting to buy and move into the 8-acre convent property once owned by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The nuns have not lived in the property for over six years, but attempted to stop the local archdiocese from selling it to the pop star for $14.5 million by making a deal with restaurateur Dana Hollister for $15.5 million.
Hollister was accused of filing a grant deed behind the archdiocese's back which caused a legal battle to ensue. According to the Associated Press, a jury believes that Hollister interfered with Perry's property deal and must pay the pop star $1.57 million and the archdiocese $3.47 million.
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The money is meant to cover the lawyer fees that have been racked up in court by both parties after a judge ruled that the nuns had no legal right to sell the property to Hollister. Michael Geibelson, the lawyer for the restaurateur and entrepreneur, insisted that his client thought she had legal rights to sign a contract for the property and was not intentionally trying to stop the sale to Perry.
"I don't think Dana Hollister did anything wrong as to either of these parties," Geibelson said in court last week, according to Yahoo.
However, Perry's business manager, Bernard Gudvi, told the Los Angeles Superior Court jury that the singer spent over $2 million in court over the proceedings.
"It's been ridiculously expensive," Gudvi said, according to My News LA.
The sisters said they previously spoke with Archbishop Jose Gomez who agreed they could choose who would purchase the property, but they could not get ahold of him once they decided to move forward with Hollister, The Los Angeles Times previously reported.
Sister Catherine Rose told the Times that many were moved out of the property against their will in 2011. The nuns said they gathered their money collectively to purchase the property at a discount rate from a benefactor decades ago and worry that if the diocese completes the sale to Perry, the sisters will not see any of the money which is needed to cover their living expenses.
The nuns said that Perry met with them and shared her plans to move her mother and grandmother into the property and meditate there. However, they did not agree with some of her music and music videos.
"Well, I found Katy Perry and I found her videos and ... if it's all right to say, I wasn't happy with any of it," Sister Rita Callanan previously told The Times.
The trial will resume in court next month, to determine whether Hollister has to pay for any punitive damages. Perry's business manager said he hopes that the trial will help "get rid of this grant deed and let Ms. Perry buy the house she wants to buy."
