ADOR vs. Danielle: Agency Alleges Solo Deals, Points to Min Hee-jin's Role

ADOR has accused Danielle, a former member of its group NewJeans, of denying contract violations and said her mother has blocked efforts to rebuild trust between the singer and the label. Danielle's side pushed back, saying ADOR's account is "exaggerated beyond the facts."

The Seoul Central District Court's 31st Civil Division held the third hearing in the case on July 2 at 3:10 p.m. KST. ADOR filed the damages suit against Danielle, her family, and former CEO Min Hee-jin.

At the hearing, ADOR's legal team said Danielle, unlike the other members, has refused to acknowledge the contract violations and told the label not to dwell on the past. "Fixing a contract breach can only happen through active, voluntary steps by the defendant, not by the plaintiff pointing them out," ADOR's counsel said. "It is difficult for the plaintiff to identify every violation on its own."

Citing recordings and Telegram chat logs, ADOR argued that Danielle was the only member who acted alone as a musician and even took on commercial work. The label said she made no effort to correct serious violations and instead concealed them, which it said damaged any chance of rebuilding trust.

ADOR pointed to a photo of Danielle posted on May 19 on the official account of the band Emotional Oranges. The label said the image suggested she had recorded vocals on her own, without going through the agency. "The conversations reference a rough recording, and Emotional Oranges' side noted that about $175,000 in production costs had already been spent," ADOR's counsel said. "That level of spending suggests the work had progressed significantly."

The label also said Danielle carried out photo shoots for Elle Singapore and Capital, and signed with Omega on her own. Danielle's side has argued there is no signed contract and no payment involved, so no violation occurred. ADOR rejected that logic. "Entering into any entertainment agreement outside the label, and performing or singing under it, is itself a clear breach," the label's counsel said.

Danielle's side pushed back, saying ADOR was framing her as the only NewJeans member who committed serious violations when much of what the label described applied to the entire group.

"The items that could count as major contract breaches, such as attending ComplexCon in March, signing with the Chinese investor AAO, and forming the NJZ project, were done by all NewJeans members together," Danielle's counsel said. "The photo shoots and recording work that supposedly involved only Danielle are fairly minor issues."

ADOR also said it has evidence supporting tampering claims against Min. The label said Min pressed the NewJeans members' parents to hold a joint live broadcast, telling them they needed "to build evidence for the termination lawsuit." ADOR added that on the day of the injunction hearing over the exclusive contract, Min personally edited the arguments prepared by the members' legal counsel to help create new grounds for termination. The label said Min also raised the idea of compensating the parents for legal costs if she left HYBE.

ADOR argued that even after losing the injunction case, Min planned and led independent activities, including the unauthorized appearance at ComplexCon. According to the label, the ComplexCon performance contract set Min's planning fee at $500,000, more than the $350,000 combined fee for all the members. ADOR also said Min pushed the members to turn away agency staff sent to support them on site after the court ruling.

ADOR then turned to Danielle's mother, saying she "actively supported the plans of Min Hee-jin, the former ADOR CEO and current head of OK Records." The label said this has made it hard to rebuild trust with her daughter. ADOR's counsel said Danielle's mother told other members' parents not to disclose the violations. "Even after the injunction loss, she argued alongside Min that the March ComplexCon appearance should go ahead, and that the contract termination could not be stopped," the counsel said. "She led the effort, using deceptive methods, to keep Danielle's independent activities planned and run by Min going."

ADOR also called Danielle's legal arguments contradictory. "When discussing the penalty amount, they stress that she is young," the label's counsel said. "But when discussing the contract termination, they say her mother was not involved and that Danielle, as a full adult, made the decision herself."

The court said it had the impression that ADOR was treating Danielle and her mother as a single unit rather than as two individuals. The bench asked ADOR to separate the two in its next filing and organize the claims against each. The next hearing is set for September 10.

The dispute began in November 2024, when the NewJeans members told ADOR they wanted to end their exclusive contracts. In October 2025, a lower court ruled in ADOR's favor in the case confirming the validity of those contracts. The members chose not to appeal and said they would return to ADOR. In December 2025, the label notified Danielle that her contract was being terminated.

ADOR filed the damages suit, arguing that Danielle and Min bear responsibility for the contract violations and for the delay in the members' return. The label initially sought about 43.09 billion won, then lowered the claim to about 33.09 billion won.

Among the NewJeans members, Haerin, Hyein, and Hanni have returned to ADOR. Minji is still in talks with the agency over the terms of her return.