On the morning of March 26, Civil Division No. 31 of the Seoul Central Court held the first preliminary hearing for the compensation lawsuit filed by ADOR Company (under HYBE Group), targeting Danielle - a member of the girl group NewJeans and former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin.
Danielle's legal representative accused ADOR of trying to prolong the lawsuit, affecting the career of the female idol.
Danielle's side said: "Given the characteristics of the idol industry, if the lawsuit is prolonged, damage is inevitable. Although the plaintiff - as the management company - is fully aware that an important operating period may be affected, the case is being carried out in a delayed direction.
They also added: "The fact that the defendant's scope is not limited to Danielle but also includes her family and former CEO Min Hee Jin can be understood as aiming to prolong the lawsuit.
Regarding the request to postpone the preliminary hearing from ADOR, Danielle's side also said that this shows the intention to extend the lawsuit, and expressed the desire that the case will be resolved soon through centralized procedures.
Previously, ADOR requested to postpone the preparation time for the debate of this case by another 2 months.
In response, ADOR said: "The defendant is linking Danielle's activities to this case, but this is a lawsuit related to compensation and contract penalties. The defendant himself can completely decide on continuing his entertainment activities.
Danielle's side continued to respond: "If Danielle resumes operations, the plaintiff will definitely cause difficulties and object.
Danielle also mentioned that ADOR left open the possibility of mediation, saying: "We have never heard of mentioning the possibility of mediation in the context that the exclusive contract has been terminated and a major compensation lawsuit has been filed.
Previously, in December last year, ADOR announced the termination of its exclusive contract with Danielle (a member of NewJeans); and filed a lawsuit demanding compensation against her, a family member of hers and former CEO Min Hee Jin, with a total claimed compensation amount of about 43.09 billion won.
ADOR believes that a member of Danielle's family played a significant role in causing the dispute between NewJeans and the company, who is primarily responsible for NewJeans' announcement of leaving the company, as well as the delay in returning to the group's activities.
