Judge Deals Katy Perry Blow in Bid to Buy Former Los Feliz Convent

LOS ANGELES, CA -- Two nuns who oppose the Archdiocese of Los Angeles' effort to sell a former convent in Los Feliz to Katy Perry won a round in court when a judge vacated her previous rulings that appeared to clear the way for the singer to acquire the property.

On May 2, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephanie Bowick declared void the sale of the property to businesswoman Dana Hollister by Sisters Rita Callanan and Catherine Rose Holzman. Bowick found that the nuns needed the approval of the archbishop to make the transaction.

But on Sept. 23, a panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal found that Bowick abused her discretion by not allowing the nuns' lawyers the time and opportunity to gather information prior to a hearing on the issues. So, Bowick set aside her May orders during a hearing Thursday and set a status conference for Oct. 21.

Callanan and Holzman used to live at the convent and are among five members of the nuns' institute. The pair tried to sell the convent to Hollister, but Bowick's May orders blocked that attempt. Shortly after the two nuns' attorneys filed their court papers, the Court of Appeal issued a stay on Bowick's orders.

The proposed sale to Perry would be for $14.5 million, consisting of $10 million in cash and an agreement to provide an alternative property for the house of prayer worth $4.5 million, according to the archdiocese. In contrast, Hollister paid $44,000 and agreed to a contingent promissory note, according to the archdiocese.

City News Service; Photo: Photo: by Eva Rinald Wikimedia Commons