Wondermind’s investors accused Gomez, her mother, and an ex-business partner of fraud
Hollywood singer-actor Selena Gomez, her mother Mandy Teefey, and their former business partner Daniella Pierson have been sued for securities fraud, common-law fraud, and breach of contract by investors in their failed mental health startup Wondermind, reported The Hollywood Reporter.
Wondermind SRS 44 LLC and Bespoke Wondermind SPV LLC claimed that Gomez, Teefey, and Pierson falsely represented their plans for the startup in their pitch. The founders had reportedly said Wondermind would be centered around an app which would be backed by significant advertising deals, celebrity photo shoots, and cover stories.
Gomez was supposedly a big part of Wondermind’s marketing, and Pierson was presented to the investors as a million-dollar executive with a “full slate of revenue-generating initiatives” already underway,” per a snippet of the suit published by The Hollywood Reporter. The startup, which was launched in November 2021 with a US$1.2 million contribution from the investors, was built around mental fitness practices and tools.
However, reporter Angelina Chapin revealed in a piece that appeared in The Cut last September 2025 that Pierson had left Wondermind in early 2023 following a conflict with Teefey, who was her friend. Gomez and her mother had also drifted apart recently, and Teefey was dealing with substance abuse.
Chapin’s article was cited by the investors as containing information they had been unaware of.
“The partnerships did not exist. The initiatives never materialized. The app was never built. And for three years, while the company quietly collapsed around them, not one of its founders, officers or directors said a word to the investors whose money was funding the collapse,” the investors said in a snippet of the suit published by The Hollywood Reporter.
The investors are seeking rescission of the investment contract and damages.
Gomez’s litigator Mathew S. Rosengart provided a statement to People on August 15 that described the investors’ claims as “meritless.”
“The allegations that Selena Gomez engaged in any way whatsoever in any purported ‘fraud’ or other wrongdoing are completely meritless, both factually and legally. We will vigorously defend these false allegations and indeed are filing a motion to dismiss the baseless claims against her,” per a snippet of the statement published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Pierson told USA Today in an August 14 statement, a snippet of which was published by The Hollywood Reporter, that she “welcomes the opportunity to present concrete documentation and financial records that establish the facts.”
“To be clear, she has never used investor funds for personal expenses. Quite the opposite: Daniella invested her own money into the business and did not draw a salary from the company,” Pierson’s representative said in the statement.
