KOR
The legal representatives for former NewJeans member DANIELLE have issued a strong rebuttal against allegations of Chinese capital involvement and double contracts, which were raised during the ongoing legal battle with ADOR regarding an exclusive contract and damages lawsuit. They dismissed these claims as a distortion of facts.
During the third hearing for the damages lawsuit filed by ADOR, held at the Seoul Central District Court on July 2, ADOR claimed that DANIELLE had violated her exclusive contract by collaborating with overseas artists and pursuing contracts with companies backed by Chinese capital.
Following this, reports from Dispatch alleged that former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin had effectively spearheaded NewJeans' independent activities, including their performance at ComplexCon in Hong Kong last year. The reports also claimed that she planned NewJeans' live broadcasts and suggested adding content to court-submitted documents alleging that some members of ILLIT had mocked NewJeans, further fueling the controversy.
In response, Team Bunnies, a NewJeans fan coalition active primarily on X, released an official statement from DANIELLE’s legal team, Hwawoo, on July 6. The statement was provided in response to inquiries regarding the July 2 hearing.
DANIELLE’s legal team stated, "Some media outlets have distorted the facts by mentioning Chinese capital, as if DANIELLE had signed a double contract with an external company or attempted to conceal it." They further clarified, "The matter in question was a standard process during the 2025 NewJeans dispute, where a third party submitted a proposal to HYBE for the acquisition of ADOR shares through official channels. This has been maliciously distorted by mixing it with false information. DANIELLE and the other NewJeans members have never signed, or attempted to sign, a dual entertainment exclusive contract with any specific company."
The legal team also argued, "The claims made by ADOR’s attorney during the trial differ from objective facts or are distortions and exaggerations. We suspect that ADOR’s influence may be involved in the process where issues related to NewJeans as a whole are being reported as if they were DANIELLE’s individual actions."
The attorneys added, "ADOR’s claims are nothing new, and we expect the court to make an accurate legal judgment based on evidence. We plan to respond firmly, including requesting necessary measures from the court, regarding ADOR’s attempts to unfairly influence the trial through public opinion."
Meanwhile, it is reported that some of the other NewJeans members are currently working on music both domestically and internationally ahead of their comeback. DANIELLE recently drew attention after successfully completing a 21.0975 km course at a half-marathon held on the Gold Coast in Australia.
Photo = Reporter Baek Seung-cheol
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)
