Singer Katy Perry is embroiled in a property dispute between a group of elderly nuns and the Los Angeles Archdiocese over who owns a hilltop convent overlooking Hollywood.

Perry is named in a recent lawsuit over the scenic property in the Los Feliz neighbourhood. The dispute centres on who is authorised to sell the convent.

The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary say the building is theirs and have sold it to a local restaurateur, Dana Hollister, who has already moved in.

But in a June 19 lawsuit, the archdiocese claims it is responsible for selling the property and plans a $14.5 million deal with another buyer. The defendants in the suit say that the buyer is Perry, 30.

A spokeswoman for the entertainer did not respond to press inquiries.

The archdiocese released a statement on Monday saying it had taken legal action to prevent Hollister from assuming control of the property, claiming the sale was unauthorised.

An archdiocese spokeswoman declined to name its proposed buyer.

Hollister’s lawyer, Randy Snyder, said the dispute had nothing to do with Perry, but was rather a battle between the diocese and the nuns.