NewJeans’ Danielle Exits Group; ADOR Files $43.1 Billion Lawsuit

Danielle, a member of the group NewJeans, left the group following a contract dispute with her agency, ADOR. ADOR has filed a lawsuit seeking damages totaling approximately $43.1 billion against Danielle, her family, and former ADOR CEO Minhee Jin. This case is recorded as the largest dispute in K-pop history.

ADOR’s claim consists of a penalty of $30 billion against Danielle for breach of contract, plus $3.1 billion in damages resulting from her suspension from activities and failure to fulfill advertising obligations. Additionally, ADOR has demanded $1 billion in damages from Danielle’s mother and former CEO Minhee Jin for causing delays in Danielle’s departure from NewJeans and her return to the group.

The calculation of this penalty was based on strategic considerations. ADOR’s annual revenue from NewJeans in 2023 and 2024 was 110.3 billion won and 111.2 billion won respectively. Dividing this revenue among the five members results in an average annual revenue per member of approximately 22 billion won, or about 1.8 billion won per month. Multiplying this by the 56 months remaining until the end of the contract in July 2029 theoretically yields a penalty of around 100 billion won. However, ADOR only requested 30 billion won, which is less than one-third of that amount.

Legal experts analyze this as a “calculation designed to maximize the chances of winning.” This is because if the penalty is deemed excessively high, the court may invalidate it under Article 103 of the Civil Act, which addresses violations of public order and morals.

Danielle was released from the group as accountability for the dispute. ADOR alleged that she pursued advertising contracts and appeared in external content without consulting them, even after a court ruled in favor of the validity of her exclusive contract. Danielle opened a personal social media account on the 12th and announced her first live stream, but her legal representative stated that the live stream was intended for pure communication with fans and had nothing to do with the lawsuit.

Meanwhile, the return of the remaining members has varied. ADOR first confirmed the return of Haerin and Hyein, and on December 29th, it also confirmed Haerin’s return. Minzy is currently in discussions with ADOR regarding her return. NewJeans became one of the leading girl groups of the fourth generation within two years of their Debut due to explosive popularity, but this dispute has resulted in a hiatus of over one and a half years.