In a previous article from Curbed, the nuns of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary with Dana Hollister and Katy Perry together with Archbishop Jose Gomez will head to the court on Thursday to talk about the convent in the hills of Los Feliz.
At the hearing, Judge James C. Chalfant of Los Angeles Superior Court decided that neither Katy Perry nor Dana Hollister can buy the convent but rather they should fight on who will get the rent, as reported in a recent article from Curbed.
"We'll have a battle of potential lessees," said Judge Chalfant, as seen in an article from The New York Times.
In addition, the judge ordered Dana Hollister to pay $25,000 a month to support the nuns and denied representatives for Los Angeles' Catholic archbishop or the singer to access the convent during the dispute, as mentioned in a report from The Guardian. The article added that Judge Chalfant said that Dana Hollister's purchase of the convent is improper and invalid.
In a report from My News LA, Dana Hollister has not been living on the property but has a caretaker. As the article added, she cannot sell, lease or modify the property.
The judge also said that Archbishop Jose Gomez could not authorize the sale to the singer, as reported from Telegraph. The judge said to the lawyer of archbishop, "You're not selling to Katy Perry any time soon."
An article from Bloomberg Business wrote that the archbishop accused Hollister of taking advantage of the nuns by paying $100,000 upfront and a balance of $9.9 million. The article added that Hollister should "be declared void as a product of elder abuse." However, the article said that Hollister called the allegation "ridiculous" and defended the sisters' mental fitness.
Furthermore, The Guardian mentioned Judge Chalfant mentioned that Church Law governs the sale of the convent and not Civil Law. In addition, The Guardian mentioned that Katy Perry did not attend the said hearing but her lawyers was in the hearing while Dana Hollister attended the hearing and seated in the second row next to a pair of nuns.
There will be another hearing in September 15 regarding on who will get the convent while the "Roar" singer bid to purchase the convent requires Vatican approval, as mentioned in The Guardian.
The article from My News LA reported that Judge Chalfant said in a trial that the case on all issues may not take place for two years and that it will be before another judge.
Although Sister Rita and Sister Catherine Rose left court without comment, the legal team of the nuns released a statement, as reported from Telegraph.
A part of a statement goes, "We are also pleased that the judge has rejected the archbishop's request to dispossess Dana Hollister from the property pending a hearing on September 15 when the fair rental value will be determined. Dana Hollister has undertaken to pay the expenses of the property until then."