The lawsuit demanding compensation of about 33 billion won between ADOR and Danielle (former NewJeans member), the mother of the female singer and former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin, continues to have new developments. At the latest hearing, the two sides no longer focused on determining legal liability but switched to debating how to calculate financial losses arising during NewJeans' ceasefire.
According to ADOR, appraisers need to determine the revenue and profit that NewJeans can achieve in the period from the end of 2024 to the end of 2025 if the group continues to operate normally under the company's management. ADOR believes that this is an important basis to determine the level of compensation, because the group's cessation of operation has caused the company to lose a significant source of revenue.
In the opposite direction, Danielle's side believes that this calculation method does not accurately reflect the reality of the entertainment industry. The female singer's lawyer argues that the success of a music group depends not only on the reputation of the members but also on the influence of the producer, development strategy, creative team and the support of the management company. Therefore, assuming NewJeans will continue to maintain revenue as before is unfounded.
Representative Min Hee Jin also said that NewJeans' success is associated with the process of her directly building the image and musical orientation for the group. Meanwhile, Danielle's mother said that no one can confirm that a group will maintain its appeal for many years, because the entertainment market is always volatile and business results depend on many factors.
Refuting the above arguments, ADOR affirmed that NewJeans' popularity comes from the members themselves. According to the company, the values built in the previous production process have become the foundation of the group, so there is no reason to eliminate this factor when determining assumed revenue.
ADOR also emphasized that previous court rulings all determined that the exclusive contract between the company and its members was still valid. Therefore, arguments related to the relationship between the two parties having broken down or the company's management capacity having declined should not be included in the damage assessment process.
Regarding the opinion that Danielle should not bear the responsibility for the group's decision alone, ADOR said that the lawsuit is aimed at determining the total damage arising from NewJeans not continuing to operate under the contract. After clarifying the extent of the damage, the court will consider the responsibility of each defendant according to regulations.
The dispute between ADOR and NewJeans began at the end of 2024 when members announced the termination of their exclusive contract and sought to operate independently. However, through many trials, the court determined that the contract between the two parties was still valid, and accepted ADOR's requests related to maintaining group management rights.
While the lawsuit has not yet come to an end, NewJeans' activities have also changed a lot. After a period of interruption, the group has returned with a 4-member lineup including Hanni, Haerin, Hyein and Minji. Danielle alone did not participate in the new promotion because she is still a defendant in the compensation lawsuit pursued by ADOR. This means that the process of resolving legal disputes still takes place in parallel with the group's new activities.
According to the court's decision, the expert for appraisal will submit a preliminary report before the next debate session in September. The appraisal results are considered an important basis for the court to consider ADOR's claim for compensation in the next phase of the lawsuit.
