Singer Katy Perry’s ongoing legal battle with a small group of nuns over a convent in Los Feliz, California turned tragic on Friday. According to local news outlet Fox 11 Sister Catherine Rose Holzman, one of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart involved in the lawsuit, collapsed and died during a court proceeding mere hours after speaking with reporters. She was 89 years old at the time.
Before Friday’s incident, Sisters Holzman and Rita Callanan spoke with Fox 11 about the ongoing case. “We have an agreement with Rome. It’s in writing and it says if there are any disputes, they are to be settled in Rome,” said the latter by way of appealing directly to Pope Francis. The former, who suddenly died in court hours later, appealed directly to Perry herself. “And to Katy Perry, please stop. It’s not doing anyone any good except hurting a lot of people.”
The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart lived at the Los Feliz property from 1973 to 2011. They initially wanted to sell it to a local businesswoman, Dana Hollister, who wanted to turn it into a boutique hotel while promising to preserve the convent itself. However, when Perry expressed an interest in the property and got involved, a legal squabble ensued. Last year “a jury found Hollister guilty of malice and fraud for allegedly interfering with the sale of the property,” according to Fox 11. She was subsequently ordered to pay $15 million in damages to Perry’s legal team and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
(Via FOX 11)
