Will Danielle, a former member of the K-pop girl group NewJeans, be able to resume her solo entertainment activities?
On July 26th at 10 AM KST, the Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 31 (Presiding Judge Nam In-soo) held the first preparatory hearing for the ₩43.1 billion (approximately $31.4 million USD) damages lawsuit filed by HYBE’s music group label ADOR against Danielle, one member of her family, and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin (current CEO of OK Records).
From the start of the trial, ADOR and Danielle’s sides presented opposing viewpoints, creating a tense confrontation. Danielle’s side argued, “Because Danielle is an idol, a prolonged lawsuit would cause irreparable and significant damage.” They continued, “ADOR terminated her exclusive contract after Danielle expressed her intention to return to NewJeans. If Danielle were to resume activities, ADOR would undoubtedly raise objections and disputes, which seems very likely.”
However, ADOR countered, “This case is a lawsuit for damages and a penalty for breach of contract. The defendant’s entertainment activities are not being determined, so the defendant can decide whether or not to engage in entertainment activities. This case is not causing any delays in her activities.”
ADOR is also considering applying for witnesses. Stating that “there are many points of contention,” ADOR said, “There are many violations, so we need to narrow down the relevant witnesses. Because the other party is denying all of those points, we need to discuss whether witnesses are needed and whether we should apply for them.”
Previously, in November 2024, the five members of NewJeans claimed that their exclusive contracts with ADOR were terminated due to a breach of contract and unilaterally notified the termination of their contracts, beginning independent activities. However, NewJeans lost the first trial in a lawsuit to confirm the validity of their exclusive contract with ADOR in October of last year, and the members expressed their intention to return to ADOR one by one without appealing.
However, in December of the same year, ADOR terminated its exclusive contract with Danielle, stating that she could no longer be a member of NewJeans. They then filed a ₩43.1 billion damages lawsuit against Danielle, one member of her family, and Min Hee-jin. Currently, Haerin, Hyein, and Hani’s return to ADOR has been decided, but Minji is reportedly still in negotiations regarding the specific conditions of her return.
Interestingly, Civil Division 31, which will be hearing the ADOR, Danielle, and Min Hee-jin lawsuit, has a relevant history. Last month, the court ruled in favor of Min Hee-jin in the judgment on HYBE’s lawsuit against former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin to confirm the termination of the shareholders’ agreement and former CEO Min Hee-jin’s lawsuit against HYBE for the purchase price of shares related to the exercise of put options, dismissing HYBE’s claims. On this day, the court ruled that HYBE must pay Min Hee-jin ₩25.5 billion, and HYBE appealed, disagreeing with the decision.
Later, Min Hee-jin proposed through a press conference last month to stop all ongoing legal disputes on the condition that she would not receive the put option payment she would receive from winning the first trial. However, HYBE indicated its intention to continue the lawsuit by paying a deposit of ₩29.25 billion to prevent the provisional execution of the judgment.
