Assigned to Civil Division 31
Defendants: Danielle, one family member, and former CEO Min Hee-jin
Ador, the agency of idol group NewJeans, has filed a damages lawsuit worth approximately 43 billion won against former member Danielle, her family, and former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin following Danielle's contract termination. This lawsuit has been assigned to the same court division that handled the stock dispute between Min and HYBE.
According to the legal community on December 30, the Seoul Central District Court assigned Ador's damages lawsuit against Danielle, her family member, and former CEO Min to the Civil Settlement Division 31 (Presiding Judge Nam Insoo). The total amount claimed is about 43.09 billion won.
Girl group NewJeans (NJZ) member Danielle is seen answering reporters' questions as she leaves the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, after the hearing for the provisional injunction application to maintain the agency's status and prohibit the signing of advertising contracts on March 7, 2025. Photo by Yonhap News
The division is also presiding over the lawsuit in which HYBE seeks confirmation of the termination of a shareholder agreement with Min, as well as Min's lawsuit against HYBE for payment of stock purchase funds. Previously, in November of last year, Min notified HYBE of her intention to exercise a put option. However, HYBE argued that the shareholder agreement was terminated due to Min's alleged attempt to "take away NewJeans," resulting in the expiration of the put option rights.
Girl group NewJeans (NJZ) is answering reporters' questions as they leave the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, after the hearing for the provisional injunction application for 'Preservation of Agency Status and Prohibition of Advertising Contract Conclusion' held on March 7. From left: Hani, Minji, Hyein, Haerin, Danielle. March 7, 2025. Photo by Yonhap News.
The previous day, Ador stated, "We have determined that it is no longer possible for Danielle to continue as a member of NewJeans and as an artist under Ador, and have notified her of the termination of her exclusive contract as of today."
Regarding the reason for Danielle's contract termination, Ador explained, "As legal proceedings are expected to follow, it is difficult to provide details at this time. However, violations of the exclusive contract occurred, such as entering into contracts that conflict with the exclusive agreement, pursuing independent entertainment activities, or damaging the reputation or credibility of the company and NewJeans. We requested rectification, but since it was not fulfilled within the designated period, we proceeded to terminate the contract."
The members of NewJeans had demanded the reinstatement of former CEO Min, who was dismissed due to conflicts with HYBE. When this was not accepted, they claimed in November of last year that their contracts with Ador had been terminated due to breaches of the exclusive agreement. However, Ador maintained that the contracts remained valid and filed a lawsuit in December of the same year to confirm the validity of the exclusive contracts. Before a final ruling was made, Ador also filed for a provisional injunction to prevent the members from pursuing independent activities. The court ruled in favor of Ador in the first trial.
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