The conflict surrounding girl group NewJeans has entered a direct legal confrontation, as ADOR, the group’s agency, filed a massive damages lawsuit totaling approximately ₩43.1 billion against member Danielle, her family, and former CEO Min Hee-jin.
According to legal sources on December 30, ADOR submitted a claim seeking roughly ₩43.09 billion in compensation. The case has been assigned to the Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Division 31, which is already handling a separate stock-related dispute between HYBE and Min Hee-jin.
Despite the scale of the claim, legal experts are largely skeptical that the court will recognize the full amount. Within legal circles, the probability that the court will accept ADOR’s ₩43.1 billion demand in full is widely estimated to be below 5%.
₩43.1 Billion Deemed Excessive Under Civil Law
Even if the court rules in ADOR’s favor, the claimed amount is expected to be significantly reduced. This expectation is rooted in a key principle of Korean civil law. Under Article 398, Paragraph 2 of the Civil Act, courts are authorized to reduce predetermined damages if they are deemed excessively high.
Legal professionals note that when considering Danielle’s remaining contract period and NewJeans’ projected revenue, the claimed ₩43.1 billion far exceeds amounts typically recognized in exclusive contract disputes. Past rulings show that courts often prioritize actual, provable damages over speculative losses and frequently reduce penalty clauses to around 60–70% of the claimed amount or even lower in certain cases.
Investment Recovery and Danielle’s Contribution as Key Factors
ADOR is expected to argue that the damages reflect both the investment costs poured into Danielle’s debut such as training, production, and marketing expenses and the loss of future profits that would have been earned had the contract remained intact.
However, the court is likely to place limits on both arguments. First is the issue of the artist’s contribution. If the court determines that NewJeans’ success is attributable not only to the agency’s planning but also to Danielle’s individual talent and popularity, it may deduct her contribution from the total damages.
Second is whether ADOR has already recovered much of its initial investment. Given NewJeans’ global success and substantial revenue generation to date, the court may conclude that a significant portion of the agency’s costs have already been recouped, further lowering the actual damages recognized.
Proving Joint Liability Remains the Biggest Challenge
ADOR is also pursuing joint liability claims, alleging that former CEO Min Hee-jin and Danielle’s family either instigated or assisted in the contract breach. However, legal experts describe this as the most difficult hurdle in the case.
To establish joint tort liability, ADOR would need clear and concrete evidence showing that Min Hee-jin directly instructed or actively encouraged Danielle to terminate her exclusive contract. Similarly, proving that family members’ advice or support constitutes unlawful interference is legally challenging. Without strong evidence, compensation claims against Min Hee-jin or Danielle’s family are likely to be dismissed.
Expected Compensation Far Below Initial Claim
Based on precedent and legal analysis, experts predict that the final amount recognized by the court if any is likely to fall between 2% and 11% of the original claim. This would place potential compensation in the range of approximately ₩1 billion to ₩5 billion, far below the ₩43.1 billion sought by ADOR.
As the case unfolds, the lawsuit is expected to become a defining legal battle in the broader NewJeans dispute, with implications not only for the parties involved but also for future artist–agency contract conflicts in the K-pop industry.
Sources: Law Talk News
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