Celebrity law firm targeted by hackers threatening to reveal legal secrets on Trump, Madonna and Lady Gaga says it will NOT pay $42million ransom because 'negotiating with terrorists is a violation of federal law'
- Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sachs says it will not negotiate with hackers demanding $42million
- Group of hackers stole a trove of emails from celebrity law firm earlier this week
- Firm represents stars including Lady Gaga, Lizzo, Mariah Carey and Madonna
- Hackers also claim to have 'dirty laundry' on President Donald Trump
![Allen Grubman](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/20/16/28486824-8340151-Allen_Grubman-m-19_1589990013607.jpg)
The law firm co-founded by Allen Grubman (left) and representing such stars as Lady Gaga (right), Lizzo and Madonna confirmed that it had suffered a massive breach
Entertainment law firm Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks says it will not pay the $42million ransom to hackers who have threatened to release damaging information on celebrity clients and President Donald Trump.
Notorious hacker group 'REvil', believed to be from Eastern Europe, were revealed to have stolen private emails, contracts and personal details from New York-based celebrity law firm earlier this week.
The firm represents a number A-list stars including Lady Gaga, Lizzo, Mariah Carey and Madonna, and has threatened to expose private documents if they are not paid $42million.
A representative for the firm, founded by entertainment attorney Allen Grubman, confirmed it is working with the FBI and said it does not plan to negotiate with the hackers, The LA times reported.
'We have been informed by the experts and the FBI that negotiating with or paying ransom to terrorists is a violation of federal criminal law,' a spokesman said.
'Even when enormous ransoms have been paid, the criminals often leak the documents anyway.'
The group claims to have obtained 767 gigabytes of information from the firm, including contracts, non-disclosure agreements, private contact information and private correspondence.
![Earlier this week, the group posted excerpts of a contract related to Madonna's recent Madame X tour and a folder including legal work the law firm did for Lady Gaga](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/20/16/28617902-8340151-image-m-12_1589989766751.jpg)
![Madonna](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/20/16/28617894-8340151-image-m-14_1589989853905.jpg)
Earlier this week, the group posted excerpts of a contract related to Madonna's recent Madame X tour and a folder including legal work the law firm did for Lady Gaga
![The hackers claim they have information on Trump, who is not a client of the firm, and threatened to release president's 'dirty laundry'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/20/16/28617950-8340151-image-a-8_1589989729697.jpg)
The hackers claim they have information on Trump, who is not a client of the firm, and threatened to release president's 'dirty laundry'
They have also encrypted back-ups and will only provide a means to access them if the company pays out.
Earlier this week, the cybercriminals released a tranche of internal emails from the firm that mention Trump, which were obtained and reviewed by DailyMail.com.
Trump was never a client of law firm, and the released material mostly centers on rights discussions and approvals for videos featuring the president.
One such email chain discusses potential legal risk in using a fake positive review from Trump in a parody movie trailer.
In another email, a reporter contacted the law firm to inquire whether David Letterman had given the Hillary Clinton campaign permission to use a clip from his 2012 interview with Trump in an attack ad.
The lawyers concluded that no such release had been granted, but that Letterman didn't mind the campaign's usage of the clip.
The hackers have also published on their dark web site a 2.4-gigabyte folder including legal work the law firm did for Lady Gaga.
The files appear to be mostly standard music industry documents and tedious paperwork.
The documents include contracts sent to producers, collaborators, and members of her touring ensemble, promotional agreements, expense sheets, confidentiality agreement forms, performer agreements, reimbursement forms for the artist Jeff Koons, and some promotional photos.
Despite the innocuous nature of the stolen emails that were released, the hackers claimed to have much more damaging material.
'Oh well. The first part, with the most harmless information, we will post here,' the hackers said in a brief statement on their dark web site.
In a prior statement on Thursday, they also made the threat to target Trump, writing: 'The next person we'll be publishing is Donald Trump. There's an election going on, and we found a ton of dirty laundry on time.'
They added: 'Mr Trump, if you want to stay president, poke a sharp stick at the guys, otherwise you may forget this ambition forever.
'And to you voters, we can let you know that after such a publication, you certainly don't want to see him as president … The deadline is one week.'
![Entertainment law firm Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks is founded by Allen Grubman (left), the father of celebrity publicist Lizzie Grubman (right) - whose clients have included Britney Spears and Jay-Z - and who has focused on damage control PR](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/15/11/28353036-8323047-Entertainment_law_firm_Grubman_Shire_Meiselas_Sacks_is_founded_b-a-29_1589539224581.jpg)
Entertainment law firm Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks is founded by Allen Grubman (left), the father of celebrity publicist Lizzie Grubman (right) - whose clients have included Britney Spears and Jay-Z - and who has focused on damage control PR
![REvil posted excerpts of a contract related to Madonna's recent Madame X tour. The July 2019 contract is said to be one for a crewmember and contains the person's social security details](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/13/18/28353676-8313971-image-a-16_1589389335466.jpg)
REvil posted excerpts of a contract related to Madonna's recent Madame X tour. The July 2019 contract is said to be one for a crewmember and contains the person's social security details
![REvil posted a screenshot of files titled with celebrity names and companies who are Grubman's clients](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/13/18/28353682-8313971-image-a-15_1589389248185.jpg)
REvil posted a screenshot of files titled with celebrity names and companies who are Grubman's clients
Cybersecurity experts expressed doubts about whether the group has more damaging material on the president, but cautioned against assuming there is nothing to the threat.
'It's easy to assume they're bluffing, but that wouldn't help their cause. The firm would know they're bluffing and be no more or less inclined to pay,' one security source told DailyMail.com
'Plus, it wouldn't be good for their business model. To be able to extort money, your victims need to believe what you say.'
Earlier this week, the group posted excerpts of a contract related to Madonna's recent Madame X tour. The July 2019 contract is said to be one for a crewmember and contains the person's social security details.
The group posted a contract signed by singer Christina Aguilera and another artist she worked with in 2013.
Another document related to the rapper Lizzo reportedly emerged too.
A release from REvil shows a list of files with the names of celebrities, including Bruce Springsteen, Barbara Streisand, Bette Midler and Mariah Carey.
The hackers also claim to have obtained files pertaining to other past and present clients including singers Nicki Minaj, Mary J. Blige, Jessica Simpson and Ella Mai; NFL player Cam Newton; actresses Priyanka Chopra and Idina Menzel; and rap group Run DMC.
REvil, also known as Sodinokibi, was also responsible for a ransomware attack against currency service Travelex in January.
The group demanded a ransom of $6million in return for not deleting sensitive customer information.
It took four weeks before the company's money transfer service and wire offering was fully up and running again, after Travelex reportedly agreed to pay a $2.3million ransom in bitcoin.
Travelex is the world's largest retail currency dealer and provides travel money services for a host of partners.
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