Selena Gomez brushes off fraud allegations

Accusations that Selena Gomez duped investors into putting $1.2 million (£890,000) into mental health startup Wondermind are baseless, the star's lawyer has said.

Mathew S Rosengart has indicated that he will be filing a motion to dismiss claims made in the suit on her behalf.

On 15 August, he denied allegations made against Gomez in a statement published by People magazine.

"The allegations that Selena Gomez engaged in any way whatsoever in any purported 'fraud' or other wrongdoing are completely meritless, both factually and legally," Rosengart insisted.

"We will vigorously defend these false allegations and indeed are filing a motion to dismiss the baseless claims against her."

Gomez was named in a lawsuit filed on 13 August, filed on behalf of a group of five investors who are seeking the return of the money they put into her failed mental health venture, Wondermind.

They are also demanding additional financial damages for alleged wrongdoing by leadership at the company, which they say "quietly collapsed around them".

The group names Gomez, her mother Mandy Teefey and former executive Danielle Pierson, who co-founded the mental health-focused company in 2021, as those who persuaded them to invest in the company in 2022.

Wondermind was envisioned as a suite of mental health media initiatives, including a digital magazine, mobile app and podcast. It gradually failed over the three years to 2025, due to reported operational dysfunction.