[Exclusive]FIFTY FIFTY's 13 billion won tampering lawsuit: Verdict suddenly canceled, debate to resume in January next year

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The first-instance verdict in the 13 billion won damages lawsuit against former girl group FIFTY FIFTY members Sana, Saena, and Arian, who have drawn attention due to tampering controversies, was suddenly canceled after 1,061 days.

According to StarNews's confirmation, the 61st Civil Division (Collegiate) of the Seoul Central District Court had scheduled a judgment hearing on the 13th for the damages claim lawsuit filed by ATTRAKT against Sana, Saena, Arian, and a total of 12 others, seeking approximately 13 billion won in compensation. However, the court suddenly canceled the hearing and decided to resume debate, setting the next date for January 15 next year.

The beginning of this lawsuit dates back to June 2023. FIFTY FIFTY, which had set a record for the shortest time to enter 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 an injunction suspending the exclusive contract with ATTRAKT at the Seoul Central District Court on June 19, and that the trial was currently in progress. Prior to this, ATTRAKT had surprised everyone by announcing that members were undergoing surgical treatment due to deteriorating health and would suspend activities, while also claiming that "an external force has been identified approaching our artists during this period to induce them to violate their exclusive contracts with us."

In response, CEO Jeon Hong-jun stated, "I want reconciliation with the members," and continuously hinted at his readiness to resume activities at any time. However, the members remained silent for two months behind their families and lawyers, taking a strong stance by saying, "If we don't do music activities, so be it, but we will absolutely not return." Subsequently, 60 days after declaring their separation from ATTRAKT in August last year, the members expressed their feelings in handwritten letters, stating, "Through this incident, we want to correct things that have been forced upon us in a wrong way in our relationship with the agency."

However, the 50th Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court rejected their application for an injunction suspending the exclusive contract against ATTRAKT, ruling that "it is difficult to definitively state that there was a violation of the obligation to provide settlement materials, it is also difficult to see sufficient proof of violations in health management and consideration obligations, and the termination of business with THEGIVERBUS does not constitute a breach of the exclusive contract."

Despite this, Sana, Arian, and Saena continued to push forward with legal actions. Even after the dismissal of their appeal for retrial, they argued, "Since both parties have declared contract termination, the exclusive contract can be said to have been terminated, and the reason to contest the injunction has disappeared due to changed circumstances; we will contest the essence of this case in the main lawsuit." They added, "We had prepared content to contest in the appellate court, but submission was delayed due to reasons such as a change in the judicial panel, partial withdrawal of the appeal, and termination notice from the agency, at which point the (dismissal) decision was made. The determination that issues regarding the settlement structure for record and music revenue, non-disclosure of details and items used for FIFTY FIFTY production out of advances paid by music distributors, and whether the debtor's CEO committed breach of trust should be judged in the main lawsuit remains the same."

They also filed a counterclaim in the 13 billion won damages claim lawsuit against ATTRAKT, explaining, "The purpose of the counterclaim is not simply for the three members to receive part of the unsettled settlement funds. We judged it important and urgently necessary to clearly organize the expenditure details related to each member's past entertainment activities before determining the validity of the 13 billion won damages claimed by ATTRAKT." They continued, "This counterclaim was filed after the law firm in charge conducted additional reviews following the rejection of our application for an injunction suspending the exclusive contract against ATTRAKT, as overall revenue details were confirmed and related procedures were initiated." They further claimed, "To date, the three members are proceeding with the relevant lawsuits without having received any transparent settlement details from ATTRAKT."

Meanwhile, ATTRAKT also won a partial judgment in the damages claim lawsuit filed against THEGIVERBUS. Previously, the 33rd Civil Collegiate Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Choi Jong-jin) ruled in favor of ATTRAKT partially in its damages claim lawsuit against THEGIVERBUS, CEO Ahn Seong-il, and Director Baek Jin-sil, ordering, "THEGIVERBUS and CEO Ahn shall jointly pay 499.5 million won to ATTRAKT."

ATTRAKT announced that it is also proceeding with a 13 billion won damages claim lawsuit against the three former members who left the team without permission due to the tampering incident—Sana, Arian, and Saena—as well as their parents, THEGIVERBUS, CEO Ahn Seong-il, and Director Baek Jin-sil, along with a damages claim lawsuit for approximately 20 billion won filed against Warner Music Korea and Clayton Jin (Jin Seung-young).

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original