NewJeans Contract Fallout: ADOR and Danielle Return to Court

ADOR, the agency behind K-POP girl group NewJeans, is set for its sixth court hearing in a $24.9 million (33 billion won) damages lawsuit against former member Danielle, a family member of her family and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin.

The Seoul Central District Court's Civil Division 31, presided over by Judge Nam In-soo, will hold the hearing on Oct. 22 at 3:30 p.m. KST. Min currently heads OK Records.

The lawsuit stems from NewJeans' contract dispute with ADOR. In November 2024, the members declared that they were terminating their exclusive contracts with the agency. However, in October 2025, a court ruled in ADOR's favor in a lawsuit seeking confirmation that the contracts remained valid. The ruling became final after the members decided not to appeal.

In December 2025, ADOR notified Danielle that it was terminating her exclusive contract. The agency subsequently filed a lawsuit against Danielle, one of her family members and Min, seeking contractual penalties and damages. The original claim of approximately $32.5 million (43.09 billion won) was reduced to approximately $25 million (33.09 billion won) in June.

The key issues are whether Danielle violated her exclusive contract and the extent of any resulting liability for damages. ADOR claims that Danielle breached the agreement by pursuing independent activities. The agency also argues that Danielle's side and Min bear responsibility for NewJeans' departure from ADOR and the delay in the group's return to the agency.

Danielle's side has disputed the allegations, arguing that she believed her contract with ADOR had been legally terminated when she discussed a potential collaboration with an overseas artist. Her representatives maintain that regarding those discussions as a serious breach of contract is unjustified.

At the fifth hearing on Sept. 10, the two sides clashed over access to documents used to assess the alleged damages. ADOR argued that it could not disclose the complete, original documents because they contained trade secrets, including sales figures and business partner information. Danielle's side countered that without access to the originals, it would be difficult to verify or challenge the assessment.

The court suggested that ADOR first submit documents with trade secrets redacted and allow an accountant representing Danielle's side to review the relevant materials.

Meanwhile, NewJeans members Haerin, Hyein and Hanni have confirmed their return to ADOR following the contract dispute. Minji is reportedly still in discussions with the agency about her future.