Ariana Grande Wins Court Order to Unmask Dark Web Hackers Selling Her Unreleased Music
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mark H. Epstein ruled on Wednesday, August 19, granting Ariana Grande a fast-track subpoena to help identify whoever hacked her personal accounts and sold her unreleased music, photos and videos on the dark web. According to court documents obtained by Rolling Stone, Grande's filing alleges the stolen material was sold for "significant sums of money." NME also reported on the ruling.
What the ruling does
Grande's invasion-of-privacy lawsuit, filed July 27, accuses unnamed defendants of using stolen login credentials and phishing tactics to break into online accounts belonging to her, her photographer and her producer. The stolen material reportedly includes behind-the-scenes footage from recording sessions, demos and unreleased masters.
The fast-track order means Grande's team does not have to wait out the standard notice period before serving defendants. In his ruling, the judge wrote that the usual 20-day waiting period "will never run," since the plaintiff cannot identify the defendants — and therefore cannot complete service — without this discovery process, even with reasonable diligence.
Grande's legal team had pushed for expedited proceedings, arguing that any delay increases the risk of more material being stolen or sold, and could result in the loss of account, subscriber and login data needed to identify the culprits. Court filings state that 45 songs were stolen and leaked in 2023 alone, and that Grande has faced hundreds of similar incidents since 2011, each causing "irreparable harm."
Where things stand with the Eternal Sunshine tour
Grande is currently in the middle of a ten-show residency at London's O2 Arena as part of her Eternal Sunshine tour. NME gave the opening night a five-star review, calling it a "business-as-usual" showcase from an artist about to step back from the spotlight.
Her representatives confirmed earlier this month that she will be "taking a step back from visibility" once the tour wraps. She has also withdrawn from a West End revival of Sunday In The Park With George, originally set to run next summer at London's Barbican Centre alongside Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey — a production that would have marked her West End debut.