Ariana Grande Files Lawsuit Over Years of Alleged Hacking
Ariana Grande has filed a lawsuit against a group of unidentified hackers, accusing them of stealing and leaking years' worth of her unreleased music, photos and video footage, including material that was later sold on the dark web.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, names John Doe 1 and John Does 2 through 100 as defendants and accuses them of invasion of privacy, violating California's Comprehensive Computer Data Access and Fraud Act, and conversion. According to the complaint, the hackers gained access to the private accounts and devices of photographers and producers who had worked closely with Grande, using phishing scams and other intrusions to steal material never meant for public release.
"This malicious invasion of Ms. Grande's privacy and disruption of her career have caused her substantial and irreparable harm due to this breach of privacy," the filing states.
Years of Alleged Breaches
The lawsuit outlines a pattern of intrusions stretching back years. According to the complaint, the hackers obtained login credentials for a photographer's Dropbox account in 2019 and downloaded unreleased photos. The following year, the suit alleges, they hacked a producer's mobile device and obtained unreleased masters, demos and footage from recording sessions.
Two additional phishing incidents are detailed from January and February 2024, in which the hackers allegedly created a Gmail account and domain name impersonating a photographer in order to trick the photographer's digital technician into sending over Grande's private content.
The complaint states that in 2023 alone, 45 unreleased songs belonging to Grande were hacked, stolen and leaked. "Since her music debut in 2011, hundreds of similar leaks have taken place," the filing says.
Seeking to Unmask the Hackers
Because the defendants remain unidentified, Grande's legal team is using the lawsuit in part to seek court approval to subpoena internet service providers and online platforms in an effort to uncover who is behind the alleged hacking. "Ms. Grande initiates this action to uncover the identities of these currently unknown and unscrupulous individuals in order to hold them accountable for their invasive and reprehensible conduct," the complaint states.
The suit also accuses the hackers of profiting from the stolen material by selling it "on the dark web for significant sums of money." Grande is seeking a court order requiring the return of her private materials and a permanent injunction preventing further violations of her privacy.
Grande, who recently starred in Wicked, addressed one specific leak during a past interview, referencing the unreleased song "Fantasize," which had circulated on TikTok before its official release. "The thing is is that those were all written for a TV show, for something that was not for me," she said. "So, 'Fantasize' comes out, crazy was stolen! Comes out?! Thieves. Pirates. Crooks. Illegal."
Grande is preparing to release her upcoming album, Petal, in just a few days on July 31.
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