Ariana Grande Gets Court Approval to Unmask Alleged Hackers Behind Music Leaks

Ariana Grande has secured fast-tracked subpoena authority from a Los Angeles judge, allowing her legal team to seek records that could identify the people accused of stealing her unreleased music, photographs, and videos and selling the material on the dark web.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mark H. Epstein granted Grande's request for expedited discovery Wednesday, finding that she could not identify the defendants without first obtaining information from third parties. Grande sued the alleged hackers anonymously as John Doe defendants because their identities remain unknown.

Epstein concluded that requiring Grande to wait under the normal discovery timeline would prevent the case from moving forward. The judge noted that she cannot serve defendants she has not identified and cannot identify them without access to the records she is seeking.

Expedited discovery allows a party to obtain limited information earlier than would normally be permitted in a lawsuit. Grande can now issue subpoenas to online platforms, payment services and other companies seeking account, subscriber and login records that could reveal who operated the accounts allegedly involved in the leaks.

The order stems from an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit Grande filed on July 27. Her attorneys argued that delays could allow the alleged theft, distribution and sale of her material to continue while digital records needed to identify those responsible could disappear.

According to the complaint, the alleged hackers targeted digital accounts and devices belonging to photographers, producers and others who worked with Grande. The lawsuit claims they used phishing schemes and other forms of unauthorized access to obtain unreleased songs, photographs, recordings and behind-the-scenes footage before selling or distributing some of the material online.

Grande claims 45 unreleased songs were stolen and leaked in 2023 alone. Her lawsuit also alleges that hundreds of similar leaks have occurred since her music career began in 2011. The material has allegedly appeared across platforms including X, Instagram, Discord, TikTok and YouTube, as well as file-sharing sites and other online services.

Grande's attorneys say they have spent years trying to identify the people responsible, including through an internal investigation and requests to preserve or remove material. The filing claims the alleged perpetrators have used anonymous accounts across multiple platforms, impersonating domain names and payment services that make their identities difficult to trace.

With Epstein's order, Grande can now subpoena third-party business records in an effort to identify the people behind the accounts. The platforms and services identified in connection with the request include Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X, Discord, PayPal and Cash App. None of those companies is accused of wrongdoing.

The case is scheduled to return to Los Angeles County Superior Court on January 25 for a status hearing.