EXCLUSIVE: Lawsuit Against Nyakio Grieco, Thirteen Lune Withdrawn

Nyakio Grieco‘s and Thirteen Lune’s legal woes are going away.

Grieco and Thirteen Lune are being dropped from the lawsuit filed March 4, plaintiff Relevance Ventures and legal representation for Grieco confirmed Wednesday. The plaintiff told WWD it is reviewing the best course of action regarding other defendants.

The suit alleged misappropriation of company funds, fraud and breach of fiduciary duty, among other allegations, as reported.

“We are withdrawing our complaint against Nyakio Grieco and Thirteen Lune. After limited discovery, litigation with respect to Nyakio and the company was the result of an unfortunate misunderstanding related to information inadvertently not provided to us,” said Dean Newton, chairman and general partner of Nashville-based Relevance Ventures, in a statement. “We look forward to working with Nyakio in her leadership position as CEO of Thirteen Lune and continuing the company mission of prioritizing culturally diverse founders.”

“I am absolutely thrilled to step into this next chapter of Thirteen Lune. I am incredibly grateful to my growing team, investors, loyal founders and brand partners,” Grieco said in a statement. “As we expand our footprint both domestically and internationally, I look forward to continuing our mission of celebrating the discovery of global beauty.”

Grieco, alongside Patrick Herning, cofounded Thirteen Lune in 2020 after the racial reckoning following the murder of George Floyd. The company operated hundreds of shops-in-shop with JCPenney in a deal that kicked off in 2021, created a multicategory brand called Relevant: Your Skin Seen in 2022 and opened a flagship in Los Angeles in 2023. The business was acquired by SNR Capital in December 2024, and the partnership with JCPenney concluded in 2025.

Prior to cofounding Thirteen Lune, Grieco founded Nyakio Beauty in 2002, a brand she sold to Unilever in 2017.