A court has ordered production company The Givers and its CEO Ahn Seong-il, who were identified as being behind the exclusive contract dispute involving girl group Old Fifty Fifty, to pay damages to the group’s agency Attrakt.
According to the legal community on the 15th, Civil Settlement Division 33 of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Choi Jong-jin, ruled partially in favor of the plaintiff in a damages lawsuit filed by Attrakt against The Givers, CEO Ahn, and a director surnamed Baek. The court stated, “The Givers and CEO Ahn shall jointly pay 499.5 million won to Attrakt.” Director Baek was held jointly liable only for 449.5 million won of the total damages.
Previously, in September 2023, Attrakt CEO Jeon Hong-jun filed suit, claiming that The Givers CEO Ahn Seong-il and director Baek Jin-sil had breached their obligations under a service contract, obstructed business operations, deceived the company, and engaged in acts of breach of trust contrary to its interests, thereby causing financial loss.
The lawsuit stemmed from the so-called “tampering” allegations—referring to unauthorized contact before the end of an exclusive contract—that erupted after former Fifty Fifty members saw their song “Cupid” become a global hit, including entering the U.S. Billboard chart, and then abruptly filed for a provisional injunction to terminate their exclusive contracts with the agency.
At the time, Attrakt argued, “CEO Ahn Seong-il embezzled 150 million won by entering into a service contract without prior consultation. Director Baek Jin-sil continued to obstruct business by rejecting advertising offers and deleting email accounts,” adding, “The Givers also failed to properly fulfill its settlement obligations.” The Givers countered, saying, “The plaintiff claims the service contract was unilaterally terminated, but it was mutually rescinded, and the defendants were hardly involved in the dispute between the plaintiff and the members.”
Separately, a damages lawsuit worth about 13 billion won that Attrakt has filed against a total of 12 parties—including Aran, Saena, Sio, their parents, CEO Ahn, and director Baek Jin-sil—is still ongoing.
The applications for provisional injunctions to suspend the validity of their exclusive contracts that these three members filed against Attrakt were dismissed in both the first and second instances. Member Keena withdrew her appeal and returned to Attrakt.
Attrakt notified Saena, Aran, and Sio of the termination of their exclusive contracts, while Keena reorganized the team into a five-member group with new members and has been continuing activities.
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