Selena Gomez asks judge to dismiss absurd fraud claims over mental health startup
Selena Gomez is fighting back against a federal lawsuit alleging she defrauded investors in Wondermind, the mental health startup she co-founded with her mother.In a motion filed in Delaware federal court on Wednesday, Gomez’s lawyers asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by investors of Wondermind, who allege they were misled into investing nearly $1.2 million in the 2021 start-up after being made false promises about the company’s leadership, resources, and infrastructure for years.The lawsuit, filed for common-law fraud, breach of contract, and securities fraud, names Gomez, her mother, Mandy Teefey, and their former business partner, Daniella Pierson.
“The notion that Selena engaged in ‘fraud’ or any other wrongdoing is absurd — and in addition to filing our motion we are exploring other avenues of relief for Ms.Gomez including sanctions against plaintiffs for improperly including her,” Mathew S.
Rosengart, an attorney for Gomez, said in a statement to NBC News.Wondermind and Teefey did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Pierson, who has previously denied any wrongdoing, also did not respond to a request for comment.According to the complaint — filed on Aug.13 in federal court in Delaware by Wondermind SRS 44 LLC and Bespoke Wondermind SPV I LLC, limited liability companies that invested in the startup — the three founders allegedly told investors the sprawling “mental fitness” company would include a phone app, advertising deals and celebrity-driven content with Gomez “intimately involved” as head of marketing.
Instead, the complaint alleges that many of those initiatives never happened, that investors received false updates, and that they were kept in the dark about Wondermind’s mismanagement and descent into financial turmoil.It alleges investors became aware of the company’s disarray after two bombshell stories by Forbes and The Cut.
Gomez’s attorneys, however, argue in the motion that the lawsuit does...