Former Newjeans Danielle Pushes Back on ADOR's Court Claims

The legal team for Danielle, a former member of K-POP girl group NewJeans, has flatly denied allegations that she was tied to Chinese capital or signed a secret second contract. The claims surfaced during her ongoing lawsuit with her former agency, ADOR.

On the 6th, law firm Hwa Woo, representing Danielle, said ADOR's arguments and related media reports from the third hearing of ADOR's damages suit do not match the facts.

The team said that after the court session on the 2nd, some outlets brought up Chinese capital and framed Danielle as having signed or hidden a second exclusive contract with an outside company. "Danielle and the other NewJeans members have never signed a double exclusive contract with any company, nor attempted to," the lawyers said.

On the origin of the double-contract allegation, the team said it traces back to the NewJeans dispute in 2025, when a third party formally submitted a proposal to HYBE to buy ADOR shares. "It was a normal process," the lawyers said. "False information was mixed in and the story was twisted with bad intent."

Hwa Woo also argued that ADOR's claims are either exaggerated or out of step with the facts. "This is a matter involving all NewJeans members, but it is being reported as if it were Danielle's individual action alone," the team said. "We suspect ADOR's influence may be shaping that coverage." The lawyers added that they plan to ask the court to take necessary steps, saying they believe the agency is trying to sway the trial through public opinion.

ADOR notified Danielle of the termination of her exclusive contract in December last year. The agency then filed a damages suit, naming Danielle, her family, and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin as the key figures behind the exclusive-contract dispute. The claim was initially around 43.1 billion won. After recently changing its legal team, ADOR lowered the amount to about 33.09 billion won.

At the third hearing on the 2nd, held before the 31st Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court under presiding judge Nam In-soo, ADOR argued that Danielle pursued music activities and endorsement deals on her own without going through the agency. ADOR also claimed that the members had previously pushed for a double contract linked to Chinese capital.

The NewJeans members announced the termination of their exclusive contracts in November of last year but later lost their court case. Members Haerin, Hyein, and Hanni have since returned to ADOR and resumed activities, and Minji is in talks about a possible return. Danielle is the only member still fighting the legal battle on her own.