ADOR has filed a large damages lawsuit following the termination of its contract with former NewJeans member Danielle.
As reported by Korean media on December 30, the HYBE subsidiary filed a lawsuit seeking penalties and damages totaling 43.1 billion won (approximately $30 million) against Danielle, one member of her family, and former Ador CEO Min Hee Jin.
The case has been assigned to the 31st Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Nam In Soo. This is the same court currently handling HYBE’s lawsuit against Min Hee Jin over the termination of the shareholder agreement. A first hearing date has not yet been scheduled.
The lawsuit comes one day after ADOR officially announced the termination of Danielle’s exclusive contract. In its statement released on December 29, the agency said it had “determined that it would be difficult for her to continue as a NewJeans member and ADOR artist.” They confirmed that they had notified her of the contract termination that day.
The company explicitly stated it would pursue legal accountability against former CEO Min Hee Jin and one member of Danielle’s family. They explained that they bear “significant responsibility for causing this dispute and for the delays in NewJeans’ departure and return“.
According to reports, ADOR claims that Danielle committed multiple violations of her exclusive contract. These include signing conflicting agreements, participating in unauthorized entertainment activities, and causing reputational damage to both the company and the group. The agency said it had requested corrective action, but that no sufficient steps were taken within the given period.
A key part of ADOR’s legal argument centers on the role of outside influence. The company stated that the members “had been exposed to persistently distorted and biased information over a long period.” They claim that it contributed to the conflict.
ADOR has not publicly disclosed a detailed breakdown of the 43.1 billion won claim, but an official explained that “the penalty will follow the formula already set in the exclusive contract.”
The dispute traces back to November 2024, when all five NewJeans members announced their intention to terminate their contracts with ADOR.
Since then, the courts have repeatedly ruled in ADOR’s favor in the injunction and validity of exclusive contract lawsuits. Most notably, on October 30, 2025, the court upheld the validity of the members’ exclusive contracts through 2029.
Following that ruling, the members’ paths began to split. Haerin and Hyein were the first to announce their intention to continue activities with ADOR after discussions with their families and the agency. ADOR later confirmed that the two members decided to respect the court’s ruling and honor their contracts.
In the latest update, Hanni has also returned while talks are ongoing with the oldest member, Minji.
Danielle, however, became the only member whose contract was formally terminated. With the filing of the 43.1 billion won lawsuit, she now faces a major legal battle alongside her family member and Min Hee Jin.
