The Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Division 31 held the first pleading on May 14 for the 43.1 billion won damage lawsuit filed by ADOR against Danielle and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin (now CEO of OK Records).
Before the proceedings began, Danielle’s legal team raised concerns about the sudden resignation of ADOR’s previous lawyers. ADOR recently appointed four new lawyers from Law Firm Lihan after their previous team from Kim & Chang stepped down.
Danielle’s side argued, “Four months into this lawsuit, the plaintiff’s entire legal team has resigned and been replaced.” They further claimed it is unfair to target only Danielle among the NewJeans members for massive penalties and contract termination, while issuing retaliatory warnings to the other members.
They emphasized that this seems like a “blatant and malicious intent to delay” the process, aiming to force Danielle to spend her most shining years as an idol trapped in legal battles. They added that such behavior, which ignores the court, should not be tolerated.
In response, ADOR countered that Danielle’s concerns regarding her entertainment activities are merely “vague or psychological.”
ADOR further argued, “The plaintiff has never hindered Danielle’s activities, and it is logically contradictory to claim contract termination while simultaneously claiming activities are being blocked.” They stressed that the ongoing lawsuit does not restrict her professional activities and is unlikely to have a real impact.
Danielle’s team also took issue with ADOR’s failure to submit a plan for presenting evidence.
They claimed that since relevant evidence already surfaced in the shareholder agreement termination lawsuit (filed by HYBE against former CEO Min Hee-jin), two months should have been plenty of time to prepare. They argued that failing to submit a plan is essentially giving up on proving the case. Min Hee-jin’s side added that this is a “malicious act intended to devastate the defendants’ lives” and must not be allowed.
ADOR apologized for the delay in submitting the evidence plan, stating there were “practical circumstances” and no intention to delay the case, adding that they are currently preparing it.
However, ADOR refuted the timeline mentioned by Danielle’s side. They explained, “This case focuses on events after December 2024, whereas the shareholder agreement lawsuit dealt with events prior to that.” They suggested that Danielle’s side misunderstood the nature of the claim and added that new arguments and evidence are required, promising to cooperate for a swift process.
Danielle’s side fired back, calling it “typical time-stalling.”
This legal battle began in December last year when ADOR filed a 43.1 billion won damage claim against Danielle, her family, and former CEO Min Hee-jin for breach of exclusive contract. ADOR alleges that they caused management losses by leading member departures and delaying their return.
