ADOR and former NewJeans member Danielle returned to court on Thursday, November 12, for the seventh hearing in the agency’s damages lawsuit worth about 33 billion won, with the dispute now turning on how much former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin contributed to the group’s success.
The hearing was held before Civil Division 31 of the Seoul Central District Court, with ADOR’s claim filed against Danielle, her family, and Min, who now leads OK Records. Sports Chosun reported that the session would focus on the valuation of Min’s creative role.
ADOR originally filed a claim worth about 43 billion won after notifying Danielle of the termination of her exclusive contract, placing major responsibility for the dispute on her. The agency later reduced the claim to about 33 billion won.
Danielle’s side has argued that ADOR is delaying the case by failing to properly submit appraisal materials, blocking the future of the still-young singer. ADOR has denied intentionally dragging out the lawsuit, saying it has already submitted most of the materials it can provide, while some documents are difficult to obtain because they involve trade secrets or confidentiality obligations.
Min’s side argued that her value as a creator cannot be replaced, and that NewJeans cannot be evaluated by the same standard as other artists. “Min Hee-jin’s value as a creator is irreplaceable,” her side said, according to Sports Chosun. ADOR pushed back, arguing: “It makes no sense to say revenue would be zero without Min Hee-jin. It is hard to see one producer having a decisive influence, as if on rookie idols, on members who have accumulated this much experience.”
The dispute dates back to November 2024, when NewJeans declared they were going independent, saying ADOR had breached their exclusive contracts. The court later ruled the contracts valid, and the members said they would return to ADOR. At the sixth hearing in October, Danielle’s side accused ADOR of excessive delays over appraisal documents.
In early November, a New York Times investigation reported that the members had signed their ADOR contracts at ages 14 to 17. Days later, Min fired back at HYBE’s claim that she controlled the contracts, saying HYBE’s legal team drafted them and its CEO held final approval.
The case continues, and the valuation of Min’s contribution is now expected to shape how much of the 33 billion won claim ADOR can ultimately justify.
