The following comes from a Sept. 15 story in the L.A. Times.
A restaurateur who is vying with singer Katy Perry to buy a villa-style hilltop convent in Los Feliz will vacate the property and continue paying rent to a small order of nuns as the legal battle to determine who will own the prized property continues.
The ruling was the latest step in a convoluted legal saga that pits a successful businesswoman and an order of nuns against the Los Angeles Archdiocese and Perry.
The dispute centers on who has legal authority to sell the villa-style hilltop property in Los Feliz, which spans several acres with expansive views of downtown Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Mountains.
The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary contend that they have the legal authority to sell the property and that their sale agreement with restaurateur Dana Hollister for $15.5 million was legal.
The Los Angeles Archdiocese, however, went to court to stop the sale, arguing that the church has legal authority over the property and that the nuns’ sale was unauthorized.
In July, Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant said the nuns’ deal with Hollister was “clearly invalid.”
The archdiocese argues that its own agreement to sell the convent to Perry – for $14.5 million in cash – is legally sound.
On Tuesday, Chalfant accepted a proposal by Hollister to vacate the property, continue to pay rent to the sisters and notify the archdiocese of any repairs needed on the property.
A hearing in October will begin proceedings to determine who has the authority to sell the property.
Attorney Michael Hennigan, who represents the archdiocese, said he was surprised that Hollister would choose to continue paying rent on the property while not living in it. Hennigan noted that the rent will be paid to the order’s nonprofit institute.
“I’m amazed,” he said. “We can always use the money.”
A sad commentary on a sad, soon-to-be-extinct order: a distinctly extinct order harvesting the fruit of Vatican II.
Yes, all of this is due to Vatican II.
Before Vatican II, all was rosy and perfect…
Denial of facts is an enormous burden on the intellect.
In this case, it denies that the effects of V2 were disastrous for women’s religious orders. CARA/Georgetown in its 2014 special report overwhelmingly documents the sledgehammer effect of Vatican II and “aggiornamiento” —- and SPECIFICALLY mentions the destruction of the Immaculate Heart Sisters in this regard:
https://cara.georgetown.edu/WomenReligious.pdf
Sisters orders were growing…until 1966. That is because in Nov. 1965, one of the last decrees of the council was the disastrous decree “Perfectae Caritatis”,, “On Religious Life.” Religious habits, education, everything was turned upside down.
And yet, here we are, years later, still alluding…
And yet, here we are, years later, still alluding to the Church’s many alleged War Crimes (prior to Vatican II, of course): which is supposed to be why we had to have a council of course (not at all, if you read P John XXIII’s announcement as to why he called the Council).
And yet Vatican II had nothing to do with the present state of destruction of the Church.
This is why there are title companies and lawyers who make too much money, folks. When even an archdiocese and a group of nuns are busy wracking up lawyers’ fees and acrimony, it’s easy to see how ordinary people would need the help of these ridiculously successful title companies and shockingly overpaid lawyers are taking most of us to the cleaners, and why laws are necessary. But when lawyers are involved, usually only the lawyers really win.
If everybody followed the law, we could live much more simply and inexpensively. When bishops and nuns hire representation, shaking one’s head long and slow in absolute disbelief becomes the exercise of the day for the laity. I’m amazed that the laity has been pretty quiet on this one…