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The K-pop record label Ador is suing a former member of megaband NewJeans for millions in damages, it has announced, a day after removing her from the group following a year-long dispute that saw the band allege mistreatment and attempt to leave their contract.
The compensation suit against Danielle Marsh, a 20-year-old Australian-born singer, comes months after a Seoul district court ruled that NewJeans’ five members must honour their contracts with Ador, whose parent company Hybe is also behind the K-pop sensation BTS. The band’s contract runs until 2029.
Ador is also suing an unnamed member of Danielle’s family and the band’s former producer Min Hee-jin for damages and as part of a contract break penalty, alleging they both bore “significant responsibility for causing this dispute and for NewJeans’ departure and delayed return”.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that the total amount sought from the three individuals amounts to nearly 43.1bn won (US$30m, £22m, A$45m).
NewJeans made headlines in November 2024 when they announced their decision to leave Ador, prompting the company to request an injunction barring them from any commercial activities. That request was granted in March.
Danielle’s contract has been terminated, the label said on Monday, as it was “determined that it would be difficult for her to continue as … an artist under Ador”.
The label claimed that NewJeans’ members had been “exposed to persistently distorted and biased information” which had led to “significant misunderstandings”.
The Guardian has reached out to Danielle for comment.
According to Ador, three of the group’s four remaining members have decided to stay with the label, while member Minji is still in talks with the company.
NewJeans, which made its debut in 2022, is among Hybe’s most successful acts. After the lawsuit against Danielle was announced, fans took to social media with the slogan: “NewJeans is five or nothing”.
The dramatic contractual dispute erupted last year following allegations that Hybe had forced out Min, the band’s producer, from her role as Ador’s CEO.
NewJeans members later issued an ultimatum demanding Min’s reinstatement, which Hybe rejected. The members then went public with their grievances, alleging the company had deliberately undermined their careers.
Vietnamese-Australian band member Hanni Pham claimed that the band had endured mistreatment, including “deliberate miscommunications and manipulation” while working with the label. In October she delivered emotional testimony before South Korea’s parliament over the allegations, saying: “I know it’s not going to solve all the problems in the world, but if we just respect each other, at least there will be no problems with bullying and harassment in the workplace.”
Danielle has also claimed that when she was a trainee in one of the idol boot camps, she was constantly surveilled and had to have all meals approved by management, an allegation Ador or Hybe have not responded to.
In October, the Seoul Central district court rejected NewJeans’s claims that the allegations had caused an “irreparable breakdown of trust” with Ador.
Weeks later, South Korea’s employment ministry also dismissed a workplace bullying complaint made by Pham against Ador, stating that the members were not legally employees of Ador, but “exceptional entities”.
The spat sparked panic in the K-pop industry, as it fuelled discussions around the rights of K-pop stars as workers, a status they have been legally denied.
In a joint statement to Time magazine after the injunction against them was granted, the band said: “It almost feels like Korea wants to turn us into revolutionaries.”
In November, Ador announced that only two members, Hyein and Haerin, would be returning to the agency, sparking fears among fans that NewJeans would split up. But Hanni, Danielle and Minji released a separate statement hours later clarifying that they would also return – but now it is clear, not for long.
