On the afternoon of October 22, the 31st Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court held the sixth hearing in the lawsuit filed by ADOR against Danielle, her family member, and former CEO Min Hee Jin, seeking approximately 33 billion won in damages.
At the fifth hearing, held on September 10, the two sides argued over the scope of disclosure required for materials used to assess the alleged damages. ADOR maintained that it would be difficult to provide the appraiser with complete original documents because they contained trade secrets. Danielle’s side countered by demanding access to the originals and challenging the ability to verify the appraisal results without them.
The court subsequently proposed a compromise under which ADOR would submit the appraisal materials first, with sections considered trade secrets redacted or shaded out. ADOR reportedly submitted materials related to the appraisal on October 21.
At the sixth hearing, a key issue was whether Danielle had seriously breached her exclusive contract by pursuing collaborations with overseas artists even after the court issued an injunction prohibiting independent activities.
Min Hee Jin and Danielle’s side argued that ADOR had been delaying the submission of documents needed to calculate the damages. Danielle’s legal representative protested, saying, “The deadline was set for September 10, but the plaintiff left the matter unattended for a month.” The representative added that “the delay in the proceedings has gone too far.” Danielle’s side also demanded a clear explanation for any documents that had yet to be submitted and asked the court to exclude materials submitted at a later stage from the appraisal process.
In response, ADOR explained that the submission had taken time because of concerns over trade secrets and confidentiality. The agency’s legal representative stated, “There was no intention to delay the process, and there still isn’t.” The representative added that additional documents had been submitted after the appraiser reviewed the materials and requested further information. After hearing both sides, the court indicated that each party had been given an opportunity to submit relevant documents. It also suggested that if no reasonable explanation was provided for the absence of certain materials, those documents could be treated as unavailable for the proceedings.
The court said it hoped to receive the appraisal results before the next hearing, scheduled for November 12, adding that receiving them earlier would allow more time for review. It also instructed both sides to organize and submit their positions on the methods for calculating damages before the appraisal results became available. The two sides also disagreed over NewJeans’ future activities and the criteria for calculating the alleged losses. ADOR raised questions about how to assess Min Hee Jin’s contribution and the group’s potential to generate revenue. The court additionally asked the parties to consider how the financial impact of Danielle’s individual activities could be quantified.
The legal dispute began after NewJeans’ members announced on November 28, 2024, that they were terminating their exclusive contracts. On October 30, 2025, the court ruled in the first-instance trial that the contracts remained valid. The ruling became final after the members did not appeal. ADOR subsequently notified Danielle of the termination of her contract and continued pursuing a damages lawsuit seeking approximately 33.09 billion won.
Sources: Daum