ADOR, the agency of the girl group NewJeans, will have its 43 billion won damages lawsuit against Danielle and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin (now CEO of ooak Records) and others heard in court for the first time on the 26th. This begins the process of formally disputing who is responsible for NewJeans' departure and the delay in their return.
The Civil Agreement Division 31 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Nam In-su, chief judge) will hold the first preparatory hearing at 10 a.m. for the damages suit filed by ADOR against Danielle, one family member, and the former CEO Min.
ADOR filed the suit after notifying Danielle of the termination of her exclusive contract in Dec. last year. ADOR argues that Danielle's side and the former CEO Min caused NewJeans' departure and the delay in their return, resulting in damages.
At the core of this case is an exclusive contract dispute between NewJeans and ADOR. Earlier, during the conflict with HYBE, NewJeans members demanded the reinstatement of the former CEO Min, who was removed, but when that was rejected, in Nov. 2024 they claimed termination for ADOR's breach of the exclusive contract and began independent activities.
In response, in Dec. of the same year, ADOR filed a suit seeking confirmation that the exclusive contracts with the NewJeans members remained valid, arguing that unilateral claims cannot terminate an exclusive contract. The court of first instance accepted ADOR's claim in Oct. last year, and the ruling was finalized when the members did not appeal. It was later reported that the members, in turn, expressed their intention to return.
However, ADOR took a separate course of action regarding Danielle. Concluding that she could no longer continue as a NewJeans member, it notified her of the termination of the exclusive contract and then filed a damages claim. Of the members, three—excluding Min-ji and Danielle—have finalized their return to ADOR, and Min-ji is reportedly negotiating specific conditions for her return.
The Civil Agreement Division 31 hearing this case also recently sided with the former CEO Min by dismissing HYBE's claims in a suit over confirmation of termination of a shareholders' agreement and a put option (stock purchase right) that HYBE had filed against her last month. At the time, the court ruled that HYBE must pay 25.5 billion won to the former CEO Min. HYBE has appealed.