Selena Gomez is taking a firm, decisive stand in court. The 34-year-old Rare Beauty founder, actor, and advocate is officially pushing back against allegations brought against her by investors in the mental health startup Wondermind.
The controversy erupted after plaintiffs filed a lawsuit alleging they were “falsely represented” by Gomez, her mother Mandy Teefey, and former business partner Daniella Pierson. Now, Selena’s defense is making its position crystal clear: drag her name into court improperly, and face the legal consequences. Led by high-profile attorney Mathew S. Rosengart, Selena’s legal team filed an emphatic motion to dismiss her entirely from the suit.
According to court filings obtained via People, Rosengart outlines why Gomez should never have been named as a defendant in the first place:
“Plaintiffs’ vague, generalized, and contradictory allegations concerning Selena Gomez demonstrate that Ms. Gomez could not possibly have engaged in any ‘fraud’ (she did not), is not liable to Plaintiffs (she is not) and, as a matter of law, must be dismissed from this lawsuit,” the filing reads, via People.
“Ms. Gomez agreed to support her mother Mandy Teefey, who co-founded Wondermind… Although she invested in and holds a minority stake in the Company, Ms. Gomez never agreed to and did not manage the Company. Management was vested in Ms. Gomez’s mother, Mandy Teefey, and Ms. Pierson, who ran the Company as co-CEOs and board members. The Company, in turn, retained Ms. Gomez as a consultant and conferred on her the title of Chief Impact Officer (“CIO”).”
While Teefey has not issued a public statement regarding the matter, former co-CEO Daniella Pierson “categorically” denied all allegations made by the plaintiffs in a statement to the New York Times.
Following the motion, Rosengart doubled down on Selena’s stance, warning that offensive maneuvers—including seeking court sanctions—are firmly on the table.
“Today’s motion to dismiss demonstrates that plaintiffs never should have dragged Selena Gomez into this case as the claims against her are completely meritless if not frivolous. 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,” the lawyer added in a statement to People after the filing.
Selena continues to maintain her focus on her expansive business empire and philanthropic efforts as her legal team moves to wipe her name clean from the docket.
