ADOR and Danielle Face Off in First Hearing of 43.1 Billion Won Lawsuit Amid Dispute Over Trial Delays
Danielle: "Malicious Delay Aimed at Wasting My Prime Years as an Idol"
ADOR: "Late Submission of Evidence Plan, But No Intent to Delay"
At the first trial of a 43.1 billion won damages lawsuit filed by ADOR, the agency of NewJeans, against former member Danielle and former CEO Min Hee-jin (currently CEO of OK Records), both sides clashed over whether the trial was being intentionally delayed.
At the first hearing held on the 14th at the Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 31 (Presiding Judge Nam Insu), representatives for Danielle and former CEO Min strongly criticized ADOR for engaging in delay tactics. Danielle's attorney argued, "ADOR suddenly replaced its legal team four months after filing the lawsuit," and claimed, "Regardless of the outcome, their intention is to prolong the case so that Danielle wastes her prime years as an idol embroiled in legal disputes."
Former CEO Min's side also argued that "refusing even to submit an evidence plan while changing attorneys shows a malicious intent to ruin the defendants' lives." Danielle's side pointed out that ADOR targeted only Danielle among NewJeans members by notifying her of the termination of her exclusive contract and filing a large-scale damages suit, and requested that the trial be separated for a swift resolution.
ADOR responded, "We apologize for not submitting the evidence plan due to realistic circumstances, but we had no intention to delay the proceedings." They further stated, "ADOR has no objections to Danielle's entertainment activities and has never interfered. The new legal team simply needed time to prepare the evidence plan, and we will cooperate for swift proceedings from now on."
The core issue in this lawsuit is whether "tampering" (unauthorized contact before the expiration of an exclusive contract) occurred. The court requested both sides to organize and submit lower court precedents and overseas cases related to the tampering issue.
In December last year, ADOR notified Danielle of the termination of her exclusive contract and filed a lawsuit worth 43.1 billion won, including penalty fees, against Danielle, her family, and former CEO Min. Currently, among the NewJeans members, Haerin, Hyein, and Hanni have returned to ADOR, and Minji is reportedly in discussions about the conditions for her return.
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The court decided to hold an additional hearing on the 11th of next month. The court also ordered ADOR to submit a detailed evidence plan and witness applications by June 5.
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