As the lawsuit between agency ADOR and former NewJeans member Danielle drags on, the conflict between both sides is intensifying.
On the 14th, the Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Division 31 (Presiding Judge Nam In-su) held the first hearing in ADOR’s damages suit worth ₩43.1 billion (approximately $31 million) against Danielle, her family, and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin.
ADOR previously claimed in December last year that Danielle and her family caused issues with NewJeans’ exclusive contract, notified them of the contract’s termination, and filed a damages suit totaling ₩43.1 billion. In response, Danielle’s side argued that ADOR is deliberately broadening the scope of the defendants and attempting to stall the proceedings.
Danielle’s representatives stated, "Four months after this lawsuit began, all of the plaintiff’s counsel resigned and were replaced," adding, "From the start, ADOR singled out Danielle among the NewJeans members, targeting her with an enormous penalty and contract termination, while issuing retaliatory warnings to other members — which is unjust."
ADOR countered, "The issues are complex and require review time; there is no intent to delay. We apologize for not yet submitting our evidentiary plan. We are considering practical circumstances and have absolutely no intention of dragging out the case."
However, Danielle’s side insisted, "The plaintiff dismissed all prior counsel who knew the case best and appointed a new legal team, appearing to restart the trial from scratch," emphasizing, "The plaintiff’s continued failure to submit an evidentiary plan should be regarded as effectively abandoning proof, and the suit should be dismissed." They further argued, "Such malicious conduct, which devastates the defendants’ lives, must not be tolerated," adding that behavior showing disregard for the court should never be accepted.
Previously, after ADOR’s former Kim & Chang legal team resigned, the company appointed four new attorneys from law firm LEEHAN and submitted a request to change the hearing date.