Ariana Grande Wins Bid to Expedite Search for Music Hackers

Judge Mark H. Epstein ruled on Tuesday that the singer’s legal team demonstrated good cause for the motion, noting that the absence of identifiable defendants makes typical 16-day waiting periods for subpoenas unnecessary. The legal maneuver aims to secure subscriber, account, and login data from platforms including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X, and Discord, alongside payment services like PayPal and Cash App. Grande’s counsel argued that immediate action is required to prevent the further sale of stolen intellectual property and to ensure that critical digital evidence is not purged by service providers.

The lawsuit, initiated in July, details a decade-long pattern of digital theft. Grande alleges that anonymous actors utilized phishing schemes and stolen credentials to breach the private devices of her producers and photographers. With 45 unreleased songs leaked in 2023 alone and hundreds compromised since her 2011 debut, the singer claims the breaches have caused significant professional harm. While the court has cleared the path for discovery, the process of identifying the perpetrators remains complex. The case is scheduled to return to court on January 25 for a status hearing to evaluate the progress of the subpoenas and the next phase of litigation.