BREAKING: ADOR Expels Danielle From NewJeans, Terminates Her Contract + To Sue Her For Violating The Contract
ADOR, a HYBE subsidiary label, has notified NewJeans member Danielle of the termination of her exclusive contract and will proceed with a lawsuit seeking penalties and damages.
On the 29th of December, ADOR told Sports Chosun, “We notified Danielle of the termination of her exclusive contract this morning, and we plan to file a lawsuit for penalties and damages later today.”
Regarding the reason for terminating Danielle’s exclusive contract, ADOR explained, “As legal procedures will follow, it is difficult to go into detail at this time. However, actions violating the exclusive contract occurred, such as entering into contracts that conflict with the exclusive agreement, engaging in independent entertainment activities, or damaging the reputation or credibility of the company and NewJeans. We requested corrective action, but since no correction was made within the given deadline, we notified her of termination.”
As for the scale of the penalties and damages sought against Danielle, ADOR said, “It is difficult to disclose the specific amount of damages, but the penalty will be calculated according to the formula already stipulated in the exclusive contract.”
ADOR also stated that it will seek legal responsibility not only from Danielle herself, but also from one of her family members and former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin.
Earlier the same day, ADOR announced that it plans to file a damages lawsuit against one of Danielle’s family members and former CEO Min Hee Jin, stating that they “bear significant responsibility for causing the current dispute and for NewJeans’ departure and delayed return,” despite not being parties to the exclusive contract.
ADOR also disclosed the status of discussions with the other NewJeans members. Regarding Hanni, the company said, “She visited Korea with her family and held lengthy, in-depth discussions with ADOR. After sincere talks, she decided to remain with ADOR in respect of the court’s ruling,” officially confirming her return. Regarding Minji, ADOR explained, “We are continuing discussions and maintaining dialogue to broaden mutual understanding.”
In contrast, regarding Danielle, ADOR stated, “We determined that it would be difficult to continue together as a NewJeans member and ADOR artist, and therefore notified her of the termination of her exclusive contract.” The company added, “During the dialogue process, we confirmed that the members had been exposed to distorted and biased information over a long period of time, which led to accumulated misunderstandings about the company and ultimately to this dispute.”
ADOR also said, “We and the artists share the understanding that restoring the love of fans and the public requires a process of resolving misunderstandings based on accurate facts, even if it takes time,” adding, “We plan to provide explanations regarding the various controversies that arose during the dispute at a later time, and the timing and format are currently under discussion.”
Previously, NewJeans publicly revealed their conflict with ADOR in November last year. On November 28, 2024, the members held an emergency press conference and unilaterally claimed that their exclusive contracts had been terminated, announcing independent activities. In response, ADOR filed a lawsuit to confirm the validity of the exclusive contracts. After nearly a year of legal battles, the court issued a first-instance ruling confirming that the exclusive contracts remain valid.
Following the ruling, Haerin and Hyein officially returned to ADOR first. Minji, Hanni, and Danielle later expressed their intention to return at different times, but ADOR maintained that individual meetings and discussions were necessary. As a result, Hanni has confirmed her return, Minji remains in discussions, and Danielle has ultimately left the team.
What do you think of ADOR’s decision?
Source: (A)
