A $1.2 million “fraud”? Selena Gomez and her mental health start-up targeted by complaint

Selena Gomez has excelled in music for almost twenty years and can boast of having won several acting awards in cinema. In parallel with this XXL artistic career, the 34-year-old Texan leads the real life of a businesswoman. In 2020, she created her own makeup brand, Rare Beauty, before launching her own platform dedicated to mental health a year later. Called Wondermind, this structure – co-founded with his mother Mandy Teefey and a former business partner, Daniella Pierson – is today accused by five investors of” scam “of « fraud » or even “breach of contract”.

The latter filed a complaint at the beginning of the week against the three businesswomen. They say they invested more than $1.2 million in the company when it launched five years ago. The prosecution, however, regrets never having been made aware of the company’s financial difficulties, publicly revealed last year in an article in the magazine The Cut . “For three years, while the company collapsed silently around them, none of its founders, officers or directors said a word to the investors whose money was financing this collapse”summarizes the accusation, which also mentions false promises about potential collaborations with major brands. “Partnerships never existed. The initiatives never saw the light of day. »

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Selena Gomez and Rema – Calm Down (2022)

“Totally unfounded allegations”

Our colleagues from The Cut explained in 2025 that the deterioration of the relationship between Selena Gomez and her mother did not help the financial situation of the structure. Mandy Teefey also reportedly told investigators that Daniella Pierson used Wondermind funds in 2023 to pay her New York rent estimated at $60,000 per month. On August 14, the former business partner “disputed the allegations made against him”. It now counts “present concrete documents and financial statements establishing the facts”.

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For her part, Selena Gomez, through her lawyer, told People on August 15 that “Allegations that she has engaged in any form of fraud or other embezzlement are completely unfounded, both in fact and in law.” “We will vigorously contest these false allegations and have also filed a motion to dismiss the baseless accusations against her”added the singer’s advice.