ADOR has intensified its legal battle against former NewJeans member Danielle, accusing her of committing the most serious violations of her exclusivity contract and revealing new allegations about a partnership founded by the group that allegedly financed entertainment activities outside the agency.
The charges were filed during the third hearing of ADOR’s damages lawsuit at the Seoul Central District Court on July 2. The agency is seeking ₩33.09 billion (about $24 million) in damages from Danielle, her family, and former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin.
During the hearing, ADOR argued that Danielle’s alleged breaches of contract were the most serious among members and said it had made no effort to restore trust with the company. According to ADOR, resolution of the alleged violations required Danielle’s active cooperation. However, the agency said it responded with the attitude that past events should not be revisited and showed no willingness to correct the alleged violations.
ADOR also presented audio recordings as evidence, claiming that Danielle consistently refused to cooperate, making it impossible to rebuild the trust required by an exclusive contract. The agency further stated that Danielle was the only member of NewJeans to independently carry out commercial and music-related activities without authorization.
ADOR also revealed new allegations regarding a syndicate allegedly founded by NewJeans. According to the agency, the association was created to operate an entertainment business, with its regulations stipulating that it will engage in artist management activities and distribute profits generated through such activities. ADOR argued that this directly coincided with the purpose of the members’ exclusivity agreements and therefore constituted a clear breach of those agreements.
The agency also listed several expenses it claims were covered using association funds, including:
- Rental fee for Min Hee Jin’s press conference announcing the termination of member exclusivity contracts.
- Rental of a practice studio supposedly rented for Min Hee Jin’s next boy group, which was also supposed to be shared with NewJeans.
- Production costs for the NJZ logo and promotional photos following the group’s announcement of its planned new debut.
ADOR argued that even if the association funded only these expenses, creating an organization to support entertainment activities outside of the agency amounted to operating a competing entertainment business and violated members’ exclusivity contracts.
ADOR had previously filed a lawsuit against Danielle, her family, and Min Hee Jin, alleging that they were responsible for Danielle’s breaches of contract, as well as NewJeans’ departure from the agency and the delay in the group’s return.
The July 2 hearing focused primarily on ADOR’s arguments, and the court has not yet ruled on the merits of the case. Danielle and the other defendants are expected to file their responses in future proceedings as the high-profile legal dispute continues.
Sources: Daum | Star today
