Selena Gomez and Her Mother Accused of Defrauding Investors as Mental-Health Startup ‘Collapsed’
Investors say they pumpbed $1.2 million into Wondermind and claim they were misled about Gomez's involvement
Selena Gomez and her mother Mandy Teefey are being sued by investors of their mental health startup Wondermind for alleged fraud, according to a lawsuit reviewed by TheWrap. The lawsuit claims that Gomez, Teefey, and co-founder Daniella Pierson made false representations to investors, including that Gomez would play an "intimate" role in the startup, even though she did not.
The lawsuit alleges that the partnerships, initiatives, and app never materialized, and that the company quietly collapsed around its investors over three years. Despite management issues and poor press coverage, the founders allegedly concealed the problems from investors until The Cut published an article about the startup's working conditions.
The lawsuit also highlights a dispute between Teefey and Pierson in 2023, which led to Pierson's departure from the company. The lawsuit further states that the startup's claims about Pierson's expertise and the value of The Newsette were contradicted by internal records, further casting doubt on the founders' credibility.
Written by urgent.news from TheWrap's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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