Ariana Grande has filed a lawsuit against unidentified defendants she accuses of stealing and distributing unreleased music, photographs and recordings obtained through attacks on members of her creative team.
The complaint was filed July 27 in Los Angeles County Superior Court and names John Doe 1 and John Does 2 through 100.
The lawsuit claims the stolen files were distributed online and sold for “significant sums of money.” Grande is seeking to identify those allegedly responsible, recover her private material and prevent any further unauthorized publication.
No defendants have been publicly identified or responded to the allegations. Grande has requested a jury trial, but the complaint does not specify a total damages figure.
The Alleged Attacks Targeted Grande’s Collaborators
According to ABC News’ review of the lawsuit, the allegedly stolen material included unreleased masters and demos, music-video footage, recordings from studio sessions, behind-the-scenes images and outtakes from albums and photo shoots.
Grande alleges that the defendants obtained a photographer’s Dropbox credentials in 2019 and downloaded unreleased photographs. The following year, they allegedly compromised a producer’s mobile device and acquired unfinished music and studio footage.
The complaint describes additional incidents in January and February 2024 in which the defendants allegedly created a Gmail account and website domain impersonating a photographer. They then contacted the photographer’s digital technician and obtained more private images, according to the filing.
Grande accuses the defendants of invasion of privacy, conversion and violating California’s computer-access and fraud law.
The Lawsuit Says 45 Unreleased Songs Leaked in 2023
“In 2023 alone, 45 unreleased songs belonging to Ms. Grande were hacked, stolen, and leaked by Defendants,” the complaint alleges. It adds that hundreds of similar leaks have occurred since her music career began in 2011.
Grande claims the leaks interfered with her creative process, professional relationships and ability to control her work. The complaint says she sometimes had to re-record material or change project release schedules after unfinished content appeared online.
She also alleges economic and reputational damage and says significant resources were spent investigating the activity and attempting to remove files distributed without her permission.
Grande Wants the Defendants Identified and the Files Returned
Filing against unnamed defendants can allow Grande’s lawyers to seek records from payment services, digital platforms and other companies that may help identify the people behind the accounts.
The lawsuit alleges that stolen files were sold in batches through third-party payment services including PayPal and Cash App. It also claims that people who purchased the material subsequently published it across several online platforms. Grande is seeking an order requiring the defendants to surrender her private content and stop accessing, selling or distributing it.
“The lawsuit is intended to serve as a deterrent against future acts of this nature not only targeting Ariana, but also the many artists who have faced similar invasions of their privacy and theft of their creative work,” a source close to Grande told People.
She Previously Warned the People Behind the ‘Fantasize’ Leak
Grande publicly addressed music leaks during a 2024 interview with Zach Sang. She discussed “Fantasize,” an unreleased Max Martin collaboration that had been created for a television project rather than one of her albums.
After the track was stolen and circulated online, Grande jokingly warned those responsible, “I’ll see you in jail. Literally.” “So ‘Fantasize’ comes out, ‘comes out,’ crazy was stolen,” she said. “Thieves! Pirates! Crooks! Illegal!”