When it comes to the music industry of today, one of the biggest names that you will hear singing on the radio is Katy Perry. She is not just your ordinary pop singer, she is also known for making such revealing fashionable statements, and her songs sometimes mention things that are inappropriate.
Despite all of that, she still manages to earn the hearts of her millions of fans. Perry has also been involved with a lot of controversies, and one of them by her desire to purchase a convent, which has led to not so nice incidents, such as a death of a nun during the process.
Katy Perry’s legal dispute against nuns
Katy Perry’s Legal Battle
Katy Perry is known to have chart-topping hits for years now, she could basically buy almost any property she wants. In this case, she wishes to have the Los Feliz convent. This particular convent is located in the Los Feliz district of Los Angeles in California, and it is home to the Convent Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Perry tried to purchase the convent back in 2015 after discovering it in 2013 and turn it into a mansion. The remaining five sisters, as well as the Archdiocese’s lives, have never been the same since then because of the media attention.
It all started when the singer discovered this eight-acre estate and so she offered to buy it for $14.5 million in cash. Archbishop Jose Gomez actually agreed with the price, however, it was the remaining two sisters who refused to simply hand over the convent to the singer despite of the price offered.
The remaining sisters, Sister Catherine Rose Holzman and Sister Rita Callanan, insisted that the convent is the property of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart, even if they no longer reside in the said estate.
Los Feliz Convent in Los Angeles, California
There were reports that they have actually met up with the singer after watching her music videos, tattoos, and other stuff, which strengthened their dislike towards Perry. The sisters weren’t exactly opposed with the idea of selling the estate, in fact, they were planning on selling it to businesswoman, Dana Hollister for $15.5 million.
Reports also said that Hollister already moved into the estate even before the Archdiocese completed Perry’s purchase. This is exactly where the legal battle began since Hollister only paid $100,000 in cash while giving a $10 million promissory note on the side.
The Archdiocese then had to file a lawsuit against the businesswoman because of her conditional ownership of the estate. In September of 2015, the nuns then were given rules from the judge wherein they have to receive $25,000 for rent from Hollister while the case is pending.
But just a couple of months after that, according to Judge Stephanie Bowick, who is the Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge, it is improper for the nuns to attempt to sell the estate since the deal documents weren’t exactly documented in the first place. Besides, the Vatican must first approve of the selling before it can be finalized. This is what Perry has been waiting for and after then, Hollister must pay Perry as well as the Archdiocese $5 million for interfering with the contractual relations.
The two remaining sisters of the convent on their way to the court
Nun Dies In The Midst of Convent Case
In a statement from Billboard, Sister Holzman admitted that she considers it as a sin to sell the convent to the singer because she simply represented everything they basically don’t believe in. Unfortunately, Sister Holzman died in the midst of a court proceeding regarding the case. According to the media that was present at that time, the 89-year-old nun actually collapsed before dying and hours before she died, she even gave an interview with KTTV before entering the courthouse. Sister Holzman practically begged for Perry to stop fighting since it is not doing anyone good and is actually hurting a lot of people.
After the news of her sudden death, Perry’s spokesperson did not immediately release an official statement when the media asked. The cause of her death was also uncertain became the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, as well as the Los Angeles country medical examiner did not say anything about it. It is also not certain whether Perry will continue to fight for the estate or will she let go and back out because of the nuns death.