A lawsuit filed by Brian McMullen has accused former enterprise accomplice Hassan Mahmoud of raiding Iqonic to launch Noa.
McMullen’s lawsuit additionally fills in some gaps with respect to the formation of Iqonic, which we’ll go over earlier than entering into the lawsuit itself.
BehindMLM reviewed Iqonic again in April. Firm possession particulars have been absent on Iqonic’s web site however advertising and marketing cited Hassan Mahmoud as founder and CEO.
To today there is no such thing as a point out of Brian McMullen on Iqonic’s web site. That is and continues to be a major disclosure failure on Iqonic’s half.
McMullen is a former Modere promoter (Modere collapsed in August 2025). After BehindMLM’s Iqonic evaluation in April 2025, McMullen turned up as founding father of Nueva a month later.
Given Iqonic’s persevering with possession and government disclosure failures (potential FTC Act violations), it’s unclear whether or not McMullen is operating each Iqonic and Nueva (Nueva additionally hides possession and government info from shoppers).
Iqonic is run by means of the corporate Icon Academy LLC, a Delaware firm owned by McMullen and Hassan Mahmoud.
As a substitute of suing Mahmoud himself, McMullen has performed so by opting to have Icon Academy because the Plaintiff. Clearly Mahmoud isn’t suing himself, so to maintain issues easy we’ll cite McMullen because the suing social gathering (plaintiff).
For reference, McMullen’s lawsuit names Mahmoud and Noa Techs – FZCO as defendants.
FZCO denotes a Dubai registered firm with a number of house owners. These house owners aren’t disclosed on Noa’s web site.
Moreover, as a matter of common due-diligence, any MLM firm representing ties to Dubai raises instant crimson flags.
One final be aware, along with proudly owning Iqonic by means of Icon Academy, McMullen alleges Mahmoud additionally has “maintained a number of affiliate accounts” inside Iqonic. These are assumed to have been positioned on the high of Iqonic’s MLM promoter construction.
McMullen alleges Mahmoud used no less than one in all his affiliate accounts to “embezzle vital funds from” Iqonic.
It’s unclear whether or not McMullen additionally has a number of Iqonic affiliate accounts positioned in the same method.
Troubles inside Iqonic, no less than publicly, seem to have begun round July 2025. In his lawsuit, McMullen cites a social media put up from Mahmoud dated July fifteenth, 2025;
Out of the general public eye, McMullen alleges Mahmoud “started creating plans to raid Icon’s enterprise and launch a competing direct gross sales firm” in “early 2025”.
It is a bit complicated, seeing as Iqonic’s web site area was solely registered in March 2025 (Iqonic itself didn’t launch till April 1st).
Mahmoud developed these plans whereas purporting to function Icon’s President and Chief Government Officer.
Additional, on info and perception, he started having secret conversations with sure associates to undermine McMullen’s managerial authority and to make sure they remained loyal to Mahmoud.
As well as, Mahmoud started making quite a few false claims and excuses for failing to carry out his commitments to the Firm.
Coinciding along with his cited social media put up, McMullen claims Mahmoud registered Noa’s web site area, “joinnoa.io”, on June twenty eighth, 2025.
McMullen alleges member testimonials offered on Noa’s web site are fabricated.
Equally, though Noa has not but launched, Defendants make quite a few representations that would solely be true based mostly on a longtime enterprise file.
As an illustration, Defendants characterize Noa has a “95% Buyer Satisfaction” file, that it’s “#1 Price for Innovation”, that it has “200K+ Lives Impacted Worldwide” and that it’s the “No 1 editor’s alternative.”
On info and perception, these claims are blatantly false.
McMullen claims he found Noa in July 2025.
On July 23, 2025, after discovering details about Mahmoud’s plans, Icon despatched a cease-and-desist letter to Mahmoud.
Icon reiterated Mahmoud’s contractual obligations underneath the foregoing agreements, demanded that he stop all misconduct, and requested that he verify his full compliance in writing.
Mahmoud refused to take action.
Shortly thereafter, as a part of his plans, Mahmoud indicated he can be discontinuing all Affiliate entry to one in all [Iqonic’s] major merchandise, understanding Associates had already paid for the use thereof.
Mahmoud did so to additional disrupt Icon’s enterprise whereas misappropriating its merchandise, supplies, and Confidential Info.
With respect to how Mahmoud launched and runs Noa, McMullen alleges;
On info and perception, Mahmoud has used and continues to make use of Icon’s Confidential Info to focus on and solicit Firm Associates on a wide-scale foundation, together with its key leaders and best Associates.
On info and perception, Mahmoud has performed so in authorizing entry to his Telegram chat, directing Icon’s Associates to Noa’s web site, and utilizing messaging purposes and video conferences to raid and recruit Icon’s Associates.
On info and perception, Mahmoud is utilizing the Database or info therein to switch and re-recrate the family tree for his competing enterprise.
He’s participating on this scheme as a way to keep away from the time, expense, and years of effort that will have in any other case been required to develop Noa’s personal affiliate community and to accumulate a gross sales drive already skilled to promote competing merchandise.
It is a little bit of a gray space as, to the very best of my data, Iqonic launched as a reboot of Eaconomy – an MLM firm Mahmoud based in 2019.
Until Mahmoud explicitly bought the Eaconomy promoter database to McMullen (McMullen doesn’t allege so in his lawsuit), I don’t see how McMullen is claiming Iqonic’s promoter database isn’t already tied to Mahmoud.
As additional proof of Defendants’ blatant efforts to raid Icon and its enterprise, Mahmoud copied verbatim the Icon’s supplies and agreements, together with the [promoter] Consumer Settlement and [promoter] Phrases & Circumstances.
On info and perception, Mahmoud is coordinating with departing Associates to maximise the hurt prompted to [Iqonic].
McMullen alleges Mahmoud’s efforts to intestine Iqonic “have been profitable”.
Mahmoud is aware of his actions are obviously illegal and has nonetheless proceeded with this misconduct in a aware disregard for Icon’s rights.
Particularly, throughout his tenure with the Firm, Mahmoud initiated quite a few claims and lawsuits towards different former Firm executives and Associates for participating in exactly the identical misconduct, based mostly on the identical contractual provisions, and for the identical violations and tortious conduct, together with claims for punitive damages and injunctive aid.
Certainly, Mahmoud received right into a authorized spat with former Eaconomy enterprise accomplice Sal Leto in 2020. Mahmoud claimed Leto was raiding Eaconomy to develop his personal firm, Auvoria Prime.
In 2023 Mahmoud went after Ali Saleh, claiming Saleh was raiding Eaconomy to construct different MLM alternatives.
Throughout ten causes of motion, McMullen is suing Mahmoud and Noa Techs FZCO for
- violations of the Defend Commerce Secrets and techniques Act;
- false promoting;
- breach of fiduciary obligation (Mahmoud solely);
- breach of contract (Mahmoud solely);
- intentional interference with contractual relations;
- fraud and deceit (Mahmoud solely);
- unjust enrichment; and
- violations of Enterprise & Professions Code
As per McMullen’s case docket, Mahmoud was served on August twenty third, 2025.
In a September twenty ninth movement requesting extra time to file a solution to McMullen’s lawsuit, Mahmoud revealed he supposed to file his personal lawsuit (be aware Plaintiff refers to Iqonic/McMullen).
The Grievance purports to claim ten causes of motion towards Mahmoud, accusing Mahmoud of committing fraud, stealing commerce secrets and techniques and in any other case harming the corporate that Mahmoud based and constructed earlier than he was ousted.
Whereas Plaintiff filed its claims first, Mahmoud has his personal claims to claim towards Plaintiff and third events associated to Plaintiff based mostly on a failed hostile takeover and a conspiracy to drive Mahmoud out of his possession and management function with Plaintiff.
In response to Plaintiff’s lawsuit, and to arrange his personal claims towards Plaintiff, Mahmoud engaged a litigation help vendor shortly after he engaged counsel, to start the method of accumulating paperwork related to this lawsuit. Given the character of the case, the breadth of claims, and the necessity to current his personal claims based mostly on details and never hypothesis, Mahmoud respectfully requests a further 30 days to answer the Grievance.
The courtroom granted Mahmoud’s movement on October 2nd, giving him till October twenty ninth to file a solution.
On October twenty ninth Mahmoud filed a movement to dismiss. No reply has been filed, nor has Mahmoud filed a lawsuit towards Iqonic/McMullen.
Pending additional updates, keep tuned as BehindMLM tracks authorized proceedings between McMullen and Mahmoud.
