Menjelang sidang pada 11 Juni, ADOR kembali memperkuat tim hukumnya dalam gugatan terhadap Danielle dan Min Hee-jin. Pada 8 Juni, ADOR menambah firma hukum Daehwan sebagai kuasa hukum tambahan, yang terdiri dari lima pengacara: Kang In-kyung, Seo Sam-hee, Yoo Ji-won, Han Chang-wan, dan Kim Ik-hwan.
Dengan penambahan ini, ADOR kini ditangani bersama oleh firma Leehan dan Daehwan dalam proses persidangan.
Langkah ini terjadi setelah sejumlah perubahan besar dalam tim hukum ADOR dalam beberapa bulan terakhir, termasuk pengunduran lima pengacara dari Kim & Chang pada April serta penunjukan firma Leehan sebagai kuasa hukum baru setelahnya.
[https://t.co/CtJWh6CCLv]
ADOR Strengthens Legal Team Again Ahead of Danielle–Min Hee-jin Hearing
https://t.co/MKDKYBmljx
Reporter Lee Tae-jun
Just three days before the next hearing scheduled for June 11, NewJeans' agency ADOR has once again expanded its legal team. On June 8, the company appointed Law Firm Daehwan as additional counsel in its damages lawsuit against former member Danielle and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, who currently heads OOAK Records.
According to reports from Sisa Journal, ADOR officially retained Law Firm Daehwan (attorneys Kang In-kyung, Seo Sam-hee, Yoo Ji-won, Han Chang-wan, and Kim Ik-hwan) as litigation counsel. Daehwan, which expanded through a merger with Law Firm Hyeyum last year, is considered a mid-to-large-sized law firm known for bringing together former judges, prosecutors, police officials, and specialists across various legal fields.
Among the newly added attorneys is Seo Sam-hee (Judicial Research and Training Institute Class 32), a former High Court judge who handled both civil and criminal matters while serving at the Changwon branch of the Busan High Court.
The latest appointment follows a series of legal team changes over the past two months.
On April 24, five attorneys from Kim & Chang, who had previously represented ADOR in the case, collectively resigned shortly after the first preparatory hearing. ADOR subsequently appointed Law Firm Leehan as its new representative and requested a postponement of proceedings, but the court denied the request.
As a result, the first hearing proceeded as scheduled on May 14 before Civil Agreement Division 31 of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Nam In-soo. With Daehwan's addition, ADOR is now represented jointly by Leehan and Daehwan.
Following the change in legal representation, ADOR also revised the amount of damages being sought.
The company reduced its claim against Danielle, her mother, and Min Hee-jin from approximately 43.1 billion KRW to 33.1 billion KRW, lowering the total by roughly 10 billion KRW.
ADOR explained:
"A new legal representative was appointed and reviewed the case. During the process of restructuring the claims, some adjustments were made to the amount being sought. We will continue to strengthen our arguments and supporting evidence as the litigation progresses."
The first hearing saw both sides present sharply opposing arguments.
Danielle's legal team argued:
"From the outset, the plaintiff singled out Danielle among the NewJeans members, terminated only her exclusive contract, and filed an enormous damages lawsuit against her."
They further contended that prolonged litigation would force Danielle to spend valuable years of her career engaged in legal disputes rather than artistic activities.
Min Hee-jin's legal representatives similarly argued that the lawsuit reflected:
"A malicious intention to make the defendants' lives miserable."
ADOR rejected the allegation that Danielle had been specifically targeted, stating:
"We have never interfered with Danielle's entertainment activities, nor do we have any objection to her continuing those activities."
The court deferred a decision on Danielle's request to separate proceedings for each defendant. It also encouraged ADOR to submit precedent cases involving alleged tampering in the sports industry, referring to pre-contract contact with individuals before the expiration of an existing agreement.
The lawsuit has attracted significant international attention.
In March, 12,357 NewJeans fans from 36 countries—including South Korea, the United States, Japan, China, the United Kingdom, and Germany—jointly submitted a petition to the court.
The petition criticized ADOR's termination of Danielle's contract on four grounds:
1. Violation of the principle of good faith,
2. Effective dismantling of the group,
3. Abuse of rights by a major entertainment company,
4. Irreplaceable loss of time for the artist.
The petition further argued:
"For ADOR to unilaterally terminate Danielle's contract, halt her activities, and then seek damages equivalent to the revenue expected during the remaining contract period constitutes an abuse of rights that contradicts both common sense and legal principles."
The lawsuit stems from the suspension of NewJeans' activities during the latter half of 2024.
In November 2024, the members held an emergency press conference and announced that their exclusive contracts with ADOR had been terminated. The decision followed ADOR's refusal to reinstate former CEO Min Hee-jin after her removal amid a conflict with HYBE.
ADOR subsequently filed a lawsuit seeking confirmation that the exclusive contracts remained valid and secured a favorable first-instance ruling in October of the following year. The members ultimately did not pursue an appeal, making the judgment final.
In December, ADOR separately notified Danielle of the termination of her exclusive contract and filed an additional damages lawsuit seeking approximately 43.1 billion KRW.
Currently, Haerin, Hyein, and Hanni have returned to ADOR, and Minji is said to be negotiating the conditions for her return. Among the five NewJeans members, only Danielle's future course remains unresolved."
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🚨Ador hasn't submitted any evidence against Dani despite suing her 5 months ago, the deadline is tomorrow
🚨 Ador has no plan for newjeans, they are trying to shift the blame onto Minji even though they have the upper hand in contract and comeback decisions