Danielle's side Speaks Out on 43 Billion Won Lawsuit: ADOR Is Delaying the Case... Causing Massive Damage During Her Prime Years

As the 43 billion won damages lawsuit filed by HYBE subsidiary ADOR against former NewJeans member Danielle, her family, and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin (current CEO of OK Records) begins, Danielle's camp has released its first statement.

On the morning of the 26th, during the preparatory hearing for the damages lawsuit filed by ADOR against Danielle's side and former CEO Min—held at the 31st Civil Agreement Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Nam In-soo)—Danielle's legal representatives argued, "ADOR is prolonging the lawsuit."

Danielle's legal team contended, "From Danielle's perspective specifically among the defendants, she is an idol. Therefore, if the lawsuit drags on, she inevitably suffers damage. This is her prime as an idol. Because the plaintiff (ADOR) is an entertainment agency and is well aware of this fact, it seems they are intentionally delaying the proceedings. They did not merely file a suit against Danielle, but also against her mother and Min Hee-jin, who are completely unrelated to the exclusive contract."

They continued, "In a recent written opinion, they requested to push the preparatory hearing for this case back by two months, which suggests the plaintiff intends to drag this lawsuit out. We request that this case undergo a swift and intensive hearing process."

Furthermore, they stated, "Since the plaintiff initiated this case, they should already have a plan to prove their claims. The key issues are clear, and a significant portion of the evidence has already been uncovered. There is no need to drag this case out simply to acquire evidence."

Last December, ADOR terminated its exclusive contract with Danielle and concurrently filed a lawsuit for damages. At the time, ADOR stated, "We plan to hold legally accountable one member of Danielle's family and former CEO Min Hee-jin, who triggered this dispute and bear significant responsibility for the departure from NewJeans and the delay in their return."

Previously, the members of NewJeans had demanded the reinstatement of former CEO Min, who was dismissed amid a conflict with HYBE, but their request was denied. In November 2024, the group claimed their contracts had been terminated, citing ADOR's breach of the exclusive contract. In response, ADOR maintained that the contracts with NewJeans remained valid and filed a lawsuit in December of the same year to confirm the validity of the exclusive contracts. The court ultimately sided with ADOR, ruling that the contracts were indeed valid.

Haerin and Hyein were the first to announce their return through ADOR, and Hanni later joined them. Minji is still in discussions regarding her return. However, ADOR formally notified Danielle of the termination of her exclusive contract.

SOURCE