ADOR and Daniel: Will the 33 billion won damages lawsuit dispute come to an end? Court mentions verdict in February next year [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

As the dispute over a damages claim lawsuit worth approximately 33 billion won between former NewJeans member Daniel and ADOR continues, the first-instance verdict is expected to be concluded in February next year.

On the 12th, Civil Division 31 (Presiding Judge Nam In-soo) of the Seoul Central District Court held the seventh hearing for the lawsuit seeking penalty for breach of contract and damages worth approximately 33.09 billion won that ADOR filed against Daniel, his mother, and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin (current CEO of OK Records).

On this day, ADOR and Daniel's side clashed over the issue of submitting advertising contracts necessary for the appraisal of damages and the method of calculating revenue losses due to team departure.

Daniel's side stated, "We ordered the plaintiff (ADOR) side to submit (relevant materials) by the end of November, but they are only presenting some materials and saying they cannot submit them directly. They are not submitting documents related to advertiser contracts." ADOR's side expressed its position that it is willing to submit advertising contract materials, but requires the consent of the opposing party.

The two sides also took opposing stances on the criteria for calculating damages. Daniel's side argued that it must be clarified whether the damages are due to the suspension of NewJeans' overall activities or due to Daniel's individual breach of contract, while ADOR's side stated its intention to organize specific damage amounts and scope of responsibility based on appraisal results.

Positions also differed regarding the absence of former CEO Min. Daniel's side maintained that it is difficult to replace the vacancy left by former CEO Min, while ADOR's side stated that NewJeans' activities and revenue generation are possible with other producers as well. In response, the court ordered both sides to submit specific grounds for judgment, such as industry statistics and overseas cases.

They also clashed over responsibility for litigation delays. ADOR's side said, "The defendant side is submitting far more opinions on procedural progress than arguments on the merits of the case. What benefit would we gain from delaying this lawsuit? We are not actually causing any delay."

Daniel's side countered, "As a defendant's attorney, this is the first time I have seen so many procedural opinion submissions. This is the result of the plaintiff making numerous requests for delays in court proceedings over several months."

Assuming that appraisal results are submitted by the 30th of this month, the court decided to hold the eighth hearing at 8 p.m. on December 10. If there are no major variables thereafter, it plans to conclude the debate on January 14 next year and deliver a verdict on February 11.

Meanwhile, NewJeans engaged in an exclusive contract dispute with ADOR for about one year starting from November 2024, but lost the first-instance lawsuit confirming the validity of the exclusive contract last October. Subsequently, Hae-rin, Hye-in, and Hani returned to their agency in turn, while Min-ji is continuing negotiations.

ADOR notified Daniel of the termination of the exclusive contract, stating that he caused NewJeans' exclusive contract dispute and bears significant responsibility for members' departures and delayed returns. In response, ADOR filed a damages lawsuit worth 33.1 billion won against Daniel, his family, and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original