ADOR Sues Ex-NewJeans' Danielle For One-Third Amount: Why Did Label Cut-Down Penalty When 100 Billion KRW Was Allowed?

ADOR

has decided to sue former NewJeans member Danielle Marsh for an amount of $20.6 million (33.1 billion KRW). This comes as the subsidiary label of HYBE could have sought up to 100 billion KRW in penalty and damages following the termination of the K-pop singer's exclusive contract with the company. However, ADOR announced of filing a suit for one-third of that amount. The company lowered the sum after taking into account the revenue Danielle could generate if she remains active and the possibility of it being recognised by the court. Currently, NewJeans is left with four members: Minji, Hanni, Haerin, and Hyein.

ADOR's lawsuit against Danielle

On January 9, Korean media reported that ADOR filed the lawsuit seeking 33.1 billion KRW. This includes 30 billion KRW in penalties and 3.1 billion KRW in damages with regard to Danielle suspending her professional activities and failure to film advertisements. It also includes 10 billion KRW in damages from Danielle's mother along with Min Hee-Jin, ADOR's former CEO. The label held the latter two responsible for Danielle's departure from NewJeans.The penalty is deemed for a breach of contract and not any compensation for damages incurred by Danielle against ADOR, the company claimed.

Breach of contract

As per Chosun, the ADOR's exclusive contract with NewJeans members includes a penalty for breach of contract that's calculated as "average monthly sales for the two years immediately preceding the contract termination date x number of months remaining in the contract period." This clause is based on the "Standard Exclusive Contract for Popular Culture and Arts Personnel" prepared by the government.

ADOR removes Danielle from Newjeans

On December 29, 2025, ADOR announced of terminating the exclusive contract with Danielle, thus removing her from the five-member NewJeans (NJZ). This left the 20-year-old facing a lawsuit and penalty. The latest turn of events is a follow-up of the K-pop group and its label's long standing court battle leading to a mud-slinging spat that began in August 2024 with the former ADOR CEO Min Hee-Jin getting ousted.