A Los Angeles judge has granted Ariana Grande fast-track subpoena power to help identify hackers she accuses of stealing and selling her unreleased music, photos and videos online. Superior Court Judge Mark H. Epstein ruled that Grande need not observe the usual 20-day notice period before serving defendants in her invasion-of-privacy lawsuit, since she has no way of identifying the anonymous alleged hackers without the discovery process. The ruling allows her legal team to move swiftly to obtain records that could unmask those responsible before more material is leaked or evidence is lost.

Grande's lawsuit, filed on 27 July, alleges hackers accessed the personal accounts and devices of her photographers and producers via stolen credentials and phishing schemes, stealing unreleased masters, demos and session footage later sold on the dark web for large sums. Her filings state that 45 unreleased songs were stolen in 2023 alone, and that hundreds of similar leaks have occurred since her 2011 debut, causing "irreparable harm." She argues the alleged perpetrators use pseudonymous accounts, fake domain names and untraceable peer-to-peer payment platforms to conceal their identities. The case returns to court for a status hearing on 25 January.