Katy Perry awarded £3.75m damages after nuns block her turning convent into £10m home
The I Kissed a Girl star is to split a £7.5m payout with the Catholic Church after a legal battle involving the Sisters of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart in LA
KATY Perry has been awarded millions in damages after ageing nuns blocked her bid to turn an historic convent into a luxury home.
The I Kissed a Girl star is to split a £7.5m payout with the Catholic Church after a long-running legal battle involving the Sisters of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart.
The high-profile case stems from Perry’s attempts to purchase a former nunnery in the Los Feliz neighbourhood of Los Angeles.
She signed a deal in 2015 to buy the property from the local archdiocese for a reported £10m, but the nuns had other ideas.
They also decided to try and sell the beautiful property - to businesswoman Dana Hollister - before Perry’s deal could go through.
In media interviews, the nuns behind the sale - all aged between 78 and 89 -made it clear they were not big fans of the chart-topper - famed for her flamboyant outfits and raunchy stage shows.
“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
After making her offer Perry - a pastor’s daughter - reportedly met with the nuns, showed them her tattoo of Jesus on her wrist and even performed the church hymn Oh Happy Day.
Their attempt to influence the sale drew a lawsuit, with the archdiocese arguing the nuns did not have the right to sell the property they vacated in 2011.
A jury in November found Ms Hollister had intentionally interfered with the planned sale and awarded £3m in legal fees to the Archbishop of Los Angeles and to Perry.
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That decision came after a judge had decided in March that the sale to Ms Hollister was not valid, in part because the nuns had not secured approval from the Vatican.
The £7.5m awarded this week will be split between Perry and the church.
In a statement to , Perry’s attorney Eric Rowen said “justice has been well served".
“Katy is extremely pleased with the jury’s insight and understanding, and is hopeful that the jury’s decision will pave the way for her to complete the purchase of the Waverly property without further interference,” he said.