Danielle vs. ADOR: New Court Clash Erupts Over Evidence in Damages Case

ADOR, the agency behind NewJeans, and former member Danielle are clashing over evidence once again in a damages lawsuit worth about 33 billion won. This time, the dispute is over whether ADOR has submitted enough documents for the court to assess the alleged losses.

Civil Division 31 of the Seoul Central District Court, presided Judge Nam In-su, held the seventh hearing in the case on Nov. 12. ADOR filed the suit against Danielle, her mother and Min Hee-jin, the agency's former CEO. It is seeking about 33.09 billion won in damages and a penalty for alleged breach of contract.

At the hearing, the two sides disagreed on whether enough evidence had been submitted for the appraisal of damages. Danielle's side said ADOR had provided only some of the requested documents. ADOR argued that it could not freely disclose documents related to its advertising agreements.

"The plaintiff was told to submit the materials by the end of November, but it has only provided some of them," Danielle's side said. "It is not producing the documents related to its contracts with advertisers."

ADOR disputed that claim. "If anything, we want to submit the materials," the agency's side said. "We can't submit them on our own unless we get consent from the other party."

The agency added that it is still reviewing the materials it has already collected. "Once the parts that need to be added or explained are in, the data gathering will be done," its side said.

Danielle's side urged the court to intervene. "We ask that the court give clear direction so the process is not delayed any further," it said.

This is not the first dispute over the evidence. At the sixth hearing, held on Oct. 22, Danielle's side claimed that five of the 18 items requested by the appraiser had not been submitted. It argued that ADOR was delaying the appraisal by failing to provide enough material. ADOR denied stalling on purpose. It said it had already provided most of the materials it could and had submitted the additional documents it was asked to provide.

The main issue in the case is how to calculate the losses allegedly caused by NewJeans' halt in activities. ADOR says many planned activities and ad deals fell through after the members refused to honor their contracts. Danielle's side says it needs documents showing whether ADOR actually had concrete plans and the ability to carry out those activities in the first place.

The two sides also disagree on the scope of Danielle's potential liability. Danielle's side has argued that a clear line must be drawn. Is ADOR asking her to pay for losses from the whole group's halt, or only for losses tied to her own?

That question has raised further issues. One is how to factor in Min's contribution as the group's producer. Another is how much Danielle personally added to NewJeans' earnings. ADOR says it will specify the amount sought from each defendant and their respective shares of responsibility after receiving the appraisal results.

ADOR notified Danielle last December that it was ending her exclusive contract, the long-term agreement that ties K-POP idols to their agencies. It then sued her, her mother and Min, alleging that they were responsible for the contract dispute involving NewJeans and the group's subsequent halt in activities. The original claim was about 43.09 billion won. It was later lowered to about 33.09 billion won.

For now, the case remains at a standstill over the evidence. Until the appraisal is complete, the court can't determine the financial impact of NewJeans' halted activities, or establish how much each defendant may be liable for.