Katy Perry Officially Beats Elderly Nuns in L.A. Real Estate Battle
Katy Perry is finally, officially thisclose to wresting pricey real estate from two nuns age 78 and 86.
Perry has been battling the California Institute of the Sisters of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary since 2015, in a dispute involving the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Los Angeles over who owns the 8-acre property and the buildings on it. While Archbishop Jose Gomez brokered a deal with Katy (originally valued at 14.5 million) in 2015, as Buzzfeed News reports, Sister Rita Callanan and Sister Catherine Rose asserted that the property was bequeathed to them by a parishioner 40 years ago. The nuns were brokering their own sale deal with L.A. restauranteur Dana Hollister.
On Wednesday (March 15), Judge Stephanie Bowick ruled Wednesday that Gomez retains a title to the property itself, and can move forward to close the deal with Perry. The ruling echoed Bowick's previous decision in April, which was vacated so Sisters Rita and Catherine could build their case alongside Hollister.
Bowick found that the California Institute of the Sisters' property was, to quote Buzzfeed News, "under the direct supervision of the pope and, pursuant to a papal decree, the archbishop remains in control, not the nuns." Well, if a papal decree says it: Move over, ladies, a pop star and an Archbishop are here to pull rank, I guess.
Katy Perry can now proceed with plans for her new house (and actual house, not a moving one that falls off the stage during a "Chained to the Rhythm" performance).
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