[Sportschosun Baek Ji-eun reporter] What if NewJeans had managed to preserve its golden era?
On the 23rd, the 4th hearing in ADOR’s roughly 33 billion won damages lawsuit against former NewJeans member Danielle, Danielle’s mother, and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, now head of OOAK Records, was held at the Seoul Central District Court’s 31st Civil Division, presided over by Judge Nam In-soo.
A key point of the day was questioning the expert witness to estimate the scale of damages caused by NewJeans’ suspension of activities.
ADOR asked the court to calculate the sales and profit NewJeans would likely have generated if it had continued normal activities from November 2024, when the group notified ADOR that it was terminating its exclusive contract, through November 2025, when it announced its return to ADOR.
However, Danielle’s side argued, "Please consider whether it is reasonable to calculate revenue based on the period when Min Hee-jin was still there. The fact that no new producer was appointed after Min Hee-jin stepped down as producer shows how difficult producing really is. In the entertainment industry, revenue is heavily affected not only by an artist’s popularity, but also by production, direction, and agency support. The changed circumstances must be reflected, including the departure of staff who worked with Min Hee-jin."
Min Hee-jin’s side added, "Min Hee-jin’s direction was the source of NewJeans’ revenue," while Danielle’s mother’s side said, "How popular NewJeans will be next year or the year after is unknown. It is difficult to assess how attractive the members are or how great Min Hee-jin’s personal capabilities are."
In response, ADOR countered, "The one that gained popularity was the artist, not the producer. Even if Min Hee-jin’s producing was involved, it has already been absorbed into ADOR and NewJeans, so there is no need to exclude it when making estimates. The defendant’s claim that the trust relationship between ADOR and NewJeans had broken down is also something that should not be considered in the assessment, because the court has already issued a final ruling saying otherwise. They are arguing that the producer should be assumed to have changed and speaking as if ADOR had nothing, but we already have everything in place."
ADOR also rejected the argument that it would be unfair for Danielle alone to bear responsibility for the consequences of NewJeans’ collective actions, saying, "This case includes damages claims against the person who caused all five NewJeans members to leave, so the amount of lost revenue must be calculated. How much of that can be claimed from Danielle is something we will assess."
The court ordered the first expert report to be submitted by the next hearing on September 10. The next hearing was set for October 22.
In November 2024, NewJeans notified ADOR that its exclusive contract had been terminated and declared independent activities. However, the court sided with ADOR in its injunction request and lawsuit seeking confirmation of the validity of the exclusive contract. Later, Haerin, Hyein, and Hanni returned to ADOR in November and December 2025. Minji is reportedly in positive discussions with ADOR about her future.
ADOR, however, notified Danielle that her exclusive contract had been terminated, citing responsibility for the situation. It also filed a damages lawsuit against Danielle, her mother, and former CEO Min Hee-jin.
Baek Ji-eun reporter silk781220@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
