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 Wednesday in federal court in Delaware, Gomez’s lawyers asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by investors in Wondermind, who allege they were misled into investing nearly $1.2 million in the 2021 startup after they were given false promises about the company’s leadership, resources and infrastructure for years.
The lawsuit, alleging 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.
Wondermind and Teefey did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Pierson, who has denied any wrongdoing, also did not respond to a request for comment.
According to the complaint — filed Aug. 13 by Wondermind SRS 44 LLC and Bespoke Wondermind SPV I LLC, limited liability companies that invested in the startup — the three founders 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...
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