Ariana Grande has filed a lawsuit against hackers she claims targeted several of her photographers before stealing and leaking unreleased photos.

Grande filed the lawsuit against the hackers, who are identified in the case as John Doe because their identities are currently unknown. The singer and actress alleges that the hackers stole and sold her private photos, video footage, and unreleased music. Through the legal process, Grande is seeking to uncover the identities of those responsible.

Grande’s attorneys allege that the hackers targeted her photographers and producers, enabling them to carry out “unlawful and egregious” thefts of her material and sell the stolen content.

The complaint details several alleged breaches spanning multiple years, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In one recent instance in 2024, Grande alleges a hacker impersonated a photographer to trick a digital technician into sending images of Grande to them. The hackers allegedly created a Gmail account and internet domain impersonating the photographer. The hackers then duped the technician, who was employed by the photographer, into sending Grande’s materials to them. Behind-the-scenes photos and footage from recording sessions as well as music videos were stolen — with the content then allegedly sold on the dark web.

Meanwhile, in 2019, login credentials for the Dropbox account of another photographer who had worked with Grande were stolen.

According to a report by Billboard, Grande’s lawyers say she has “constantly and recently been the target of cyberattacks,” resulting in theft of her music, photos and video that are “part of her personal and professional creative process and that are not intended for public consumption.” The lawsuit alleges that the hackers later sold the stolen data and content on the dark web for substantial amounts of money.

The lawsuit also alleges that, in addition to photos and video footage, 45 unreleased songs by Grande were leaked online in 2023 before they were scheduled to come out. It claims that a producer who worked with the singer had their phone hacked, resulting in the release of unreleased master recordings, demo tracks, and footage from recording sessions.

Grande is suing the anonymous individuals for invasion of privacy, violations of California computer hacking laws, and conversion, a civil claim that is similar to theft. Through the lawsuit, she is seeking to identify the alleged hackers, potentially by obtaining court orders requiring internet service providers to provide information about them.

Image creditsHeader photo licensed via Depositphotos.