Selena Gomez‘s legal team is speaking out after the Only Murders in the Building star was accused of fraud by investors in Wondermind, a company she co-founded alongside her mother Mandy Teefey and their former business partner Daniella Pierson.
Responding to the claims, Gomez’s litigator, Mathew S. Rosengart, shared a statement with People, which reads, “The allegations that Selena Gomez engaged in any way whatsoever in any purported ‘fraud’ or other wrongdoing are completely meritless, both factually and legally. We will vigorously defend these false allegations and indeed are filing a motion to dismiss the baseless claims against her.”
Filed on Thursday, Wondermind SRS 44 LLC and Bespoke Wondermind SPV LLC sued Gomez, Teefey and Pierson for falsely representing their mental health startup’s leadership and partnerships.
Wondermind, a startup focused on mental fitness practices and tools, was co-founded by the trio in November 2021, and they allegedly told investors that the brand would feature an app and be boosted by major advertising deals, celebrity photo shoots and cover stories. The suit alleges that Gomez was touted as a key part of marketing for the brand and that Pierson was pitched to investors as a “$200 million executive” with a “full slate of revenue-generating initiatives.”
“The partnerships did not exist. The initiatives never materialized. The app was never built,” the complaint states. “And for three years, while the company quietly collapsed around them, not one of its founders, officers or directors said a word to the investors whose money was funding the collapse.”
The complaint argues that Gomez, Teefey and Pierson allegedly committed securities fraud, common-law fraud and breach of contract; the suit seeks rescission of the investment contract and damages.
In a statement shared with USA Today on Thursday, a representative for Pierson said she “welcomes the opportunity to present concrete documentation and financial records that establish the facts,” denying the allegations and asserting that she is an investor.
“To be clear, she has never used investor funds for personal expenses. Quite the opposite: Daniella invested her own money into the business and did not draw a salary from the company,” her rep added.
