At the third hearing at the Seoul Central Court, ADOR entertainment company continued to present arguments in the lawsuit requesting compensation for damages to Danielle, the singer's mother and former CEO Min Hee Jin.
According to ADOR, Danielle is the only member of NewJeans who arbitrarily performs music and commercial activities without the company's approval. Therefore, the company believes that the female idol has violated the terms of the exclusive contract.
One of the grounds ADOR gave is that Danielle is said to have collaborated with the American band Emotional Oranges. The company said the recording sessions and related production costs show that the female singer has begun pursuing independent artistic activities outside of ADOR's management.
In addition, ADOR also cited financial records related to NJZ - the name that NewJeans members used after announcing the termination of the contract. According to the company, NJZ operates as a entertainment business model to serve activities considered to be in violation of exclusive contracts.
In response, Danielle's side rejected all of ADOR's arguments. The female singer's legal representative argued that the company only repeated the evidence previously submitted in previous trials, and tried to create an impression that Danielle was the only one who violated the contract.
Danielle's lawyer also affirmed that the collaboration with Emotional Oranges did not bring any significant remuneration. According to them, NJZ is an activity with the participation of all members, not just Danielle alone, so targeting only female idols is unreasonable.
ADOR believes that Danielle, her family and former CEO Min Hee Jin must be held responsible for contract violations, NewJeans leaving the company as well as the group's slow return to operations. Initially, the company requested compensation of about 43.09 billion won, then reduced it to 33.09 billion won (about 24.4 million USD).
In the latest developments, Haerin, Hyein and Hanni have completed procedures to return to ADOR, while Minji is said to be still continuing negotiations with the company on contract terms.
