[Exclusive]Tampering masterminds.. Former members of Fifty Fifty sue for 13 billion won; verdict expected in November

*This content was translated by AI.

The first-instance court ruling on the tampering lawsuit filed by former Fifty Fifty members Sana, Aaran, and Arin is expected to be announced in November.

Seoul Central District Court’s 61st Civil Division (Collegiate Panel) (D) plans to hold a judgment announcement session on November 13 for the 13 billion won damages lawsuit filed by Attrax against Sana, Aaran, Arin, and a total of 12 other individuals.

Attrax filed the 13 billion won damages lawsuit on December 18, 2023, against Sana, Aaran, Arin, their parents, An Sung-il, CEO of The Givers, and Director Baek, totaling 12 defendants.

After completing all preparations following the initial filing, Seoul Central District Court’s 31st Civil Division (D) had confirmed the date for the first trial session; however, the proceedings were postponed due to counterclaims filed by the three members. Additionally, requests were made to restrict access to court records and other litigation documents, reflecting efforts to keep all lawsuit-related matters completely confidential as the trio prepared to rejoin a new team and resume activities.

Ultimately, the three members announced plans to restart their activities under MASSIVE E&C, a label company under IOK Company, while emphasizing that "the three members played a pivotal role in achieving remarkable results with 'Cupid' and establishing it as a global mega-hit song."

Despite this, the main trial date was eventually set, though the first session scheduled for August 2025 will also be held in private. A legal source told StarNews that "unless there are any unusual developments in the near future, the trial sessions are not expected to be made public."

The origins of this lawsuit trace back to June 2023. Fifty Fifty, which broke the record for the fastest entry into the Billboard Hot 100 chart in K-pop history with their hit song 'Cupid,' caused a stir on June 28, 2023, when members announced through legal representatives that they had filed an application for suspension of contract effectiveness against Attrax at Seoul Central District Court on June 19, and the trial is currently underway. Prior to this, Attrax surprised everyone by announcing that it had discovered external forces attempting to induce its artists to breach their exclusive contracts during a period when the group was pausing activities due to health issues requiring surgery.

Despite Attrax, led by Jeon Hong-jun (CEO), repeatedly expressing willingness to reconcile and stating readiness to resume activities at any time, the members remained silent for two months behind their families and lawyers, declaring, "If we don't pursue singing careers, so be it—we will never return." Later, in August, exactly 60 days after announcing their split from Attrax, the members revealed their feelings in handwritten letters, stating, "Through this incident, we hope that past practices of being coerced into relationships with agencies through improper means are corrected."

However, Seoul Central District Court’s 50th Civil Division previously rejected Fifty Fifty's application for suspension of contract effectiveness against Attrax, explaining the grounds for rejection: "It is difficult to conclude there was a violation of the obligation to provide settlement data; insufficient evidence exists to confirm violations of health management or consideration obligations; and termination of business with The Givers does not constitute a breach of the exclusive contract."

However, Sana, Aaran, and Arin continued to pursue legal action. Even after the rejection of their appeal, they stated: "Since both parties have declared contract termination, the exclusive contract is considered terminated; due to changed circumstances, there is no longer a basis to contest the injunction ruling. The core issues will be addressed in the main lawsuit." They further argued: "Although we prepared arguments for the appeal review, the decision was rendered while submissions were delayed due to changes in the judicial panel, partial withdrawal of appeals, and notification of agency termination. Regardless, the determination that matters such as the settlement structure regarding record and streaming revenue, undisclosed details on how advances paid by music distributors were used for Fifty Fifty's production, and potential misappropriation by Director Chae Mu-ja (CEO) should be decided in the main lawsuit remains unchanged."

They also filed a counterclaim for 13 billion won in damages against Attrax, explaining: "The purpose of our counterclaim is not merely to recover a portion of the disputed settlement funds owed to the three members. Rather, we deemed it legally necessary and prioritized clarifying expenditure details related to each member's past entertainment activities before addressing the validity of Attrax's 13 billion won damages claim." They added: "This counterclaim was initiated after the legal department conducted additional review following the rejection of our application for suspension of contract effectiveness against Attrax, which confirmed overall revenue details and necessitated further procedural steps." They maintained: "To date, the three members have received no transparent settlement records from Attrax while participating in these related lawsuits."

Meanwhile, Attrax also secured a partial victory in its damages lawsuit filed against The Givers. Earlier, Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Collegiate Division 33 (Judge Choi Jong-jin (Director)) ruled in favor of Attrax in its damages lawsuit against The Givers, An Seong-il (CEO), and Director Baek Jin-sil, ordering: "The Givers and An (CEO) shall jointly pay Attrax 499.5 million won."

Attrax announced that it is simultaneously pursuing a 13 billion won damages lawsuit against former members Sana, Aaran, and Arin who left the team without authorization in the tampering incident, along with their parents, The Givers, An Seong-il (CEO), and Director Baek Jin-sil; as well as a separate 20 billion won damages lawsuit filed against Warner Music Korea and Clayton Jin (Jin Seung-young).

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*This content was translated by AI.