The legal representatives for former NewJeans member Danielle have issued a strong rebuttal against allegations of "Chinese capital" involvement and "double contracts" raised during the ongoing damages lawsuit filed by ADOR, labeling the claims as "distorted representations of the facts."
During the third hearing for the damages suit held at the Seoul Central District Court on July 2, ADOR argued that Danielle had violated her exclusive contract by pursuing collaborations with overseas artists and attempting to sign contracts with companies backed by Chinese capital.
Following this, reports by Dispatch alleged that former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin had effectively orchestrated NewJeans' independent activities, including their performance at ComplexCon in Hong Kong last year. The reports also claimed that she planned the group's live broadcasts and suggested including content in court-submitted documents alleging that "some members of ILLIT mocked NewJeans," further fueling the controversy.
In response, Team Bunnies, a NewJeans fan coalition active primarily on X (formerly Twitter), released an official statement from Danielle's legal counsel, Hwawoo, on July 6. The fan group stated, "This is the official position received after inquiring with the law firm Hwawoo, Danielle's legal representative, regarding the July 2 hearing."
Danielle's legal team refuted the claims, stating, "Some media outlets have distorted the facts by mentioning Chinese capital, as if Danielle had signed a double contract with an outside company or attempted to conceal it." They added, "The matter in question is a malicious distortion that mixes false information with a normal process where a third party delivered a proposal for the sale of ADOR shares to HYBE through official channels during the NewJeans dispute in 2025. Neither Danielle nor any other NewJeans members have signed or attempted to sign a separate exclusive entertainment contract with any specific company."
The legal team further argued, "The claims made by ADOR's counsel during the trial also differ from objective facts or are distorted and exaggerated." They added, "We suspect that ADOR's influence may be involved in the process where matters concerning the entire group of NewJeans are being reported as if they were Danielle's individual actions."
The attorneys stated, "ADOR's claims are not new, and we expect the court to make an accurate legal judgment based on evidence." They further declared, "We plan to respond firmly to ADOR's attempts to unfairly influence the trial through public opinion, including by requesting necessary measures from the court."
Meanwhile, it is reported that some NewJeans members, excluding Danielle, are currently working on music both domestically and internationally ahead of their comeback. Danielle recently drew attention after it was reported that she participated in a half-marathon in Gold Coast, Australia, and completed the 21.0975 km course.
(Photo: Baek Seung-chul)
(SBS Entertainment News, Reporter Kang Kyung-yoon)
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