The jury also found that Hollister acted with malice, oppression or fraud, meaning a second phase of the trial will begin next month to determine if the singer and the church should be awarded punitive damages.

That sale came as the Archdiocese was finalizing a deal to sell Perry the property, a villa-style compound perched above Los Feliz Boulevard that offers sweeping views of the San Gabriel Mountains and downtown.

The nuns argued they had the right to sell the property while the church and Perry’s lawyers contended that the sisters did not get the required legal blessings of Archbishop Jose Gomez.

Archdiocese lawyer Kirk Dillman argued during closing arguments that Hollister wanted to prevent Perry from buying the property and kick off a legal fight “to wear down” the church in the hopes the singer would back out of the deal.

Perry has to find a building to replace the Cardinal Timothy Manning House of Prayer for Priests, a 24-bed structure on the property that is used as a retreat, archdiocese spokeswoman Adrian Marquez Alarcon said.