Three former Fifty Fifty members file civil lawsuit demanding $300,000 settlement

Three former members of the girl group Fifty Fifty, whose exclusive contracts with their agency Attrakt were terminated last year, have filed a lawsuit against Attrakt's CEO, Jeon Hong-joon, demanding a settlement of $300,000.

On the 23rd, the former members, Saena, Sio, and Aran, submitted a complaint to the Seoul Central District Court requesting the payment of $301,000 in settlement funds. This lawsuit is a counterclaim to the $13 million lawsuit that Attrakt filed in December last year against the three former members, their parents, and other parties, including The Givers CEO Ahn Sung-il, who were involved in the production.

Both lawsuits have been assigned to the 31st Civil Division and will be combined for proceedings. The former members' legal representation, Law Firm Dongin, is handling both the damages lawsuit and the settlement claim.

The former members are actively preparing for a resumption of their activities under their new management. On the 12th, they signed an exclusive contract with Massive E&C, a subsidiary of IOK Company, and expressed their intent to create another success story following their previous hit "Cupid" on the global stage. Additionally, they have now escalated their legal battle by filing this settlement lawsuit just days before the first hearing of the $13 million damages claim, which is set to take place on the 29th. This move has led to speculation that it is part of a broader strategy to counter Attrakt's claims as the group gears up for its comeback.

The former members had previously raised concerns regarding settlements. In June of last year, they filed for an injunction to suspend the validity of their exclusive contracts, citing "failure to provide settlement statements" as one of the reasons, arguing that there were missing revenue items. However, the court at the time dismissed their request, stating that the provided evidence did not sufficiently prove that the group's earnings exceeded the production costs or that there were breaches significant enough to undermine trust in the settlement process.

It is expected that the former members will use the example of their fellow member Kina, who received her first settlement in November last year, as part of their argument. Since the exclusive contract between the former members and Attrakt remained in effect until October, they are likely to claim settlements for that period. However, with both the $13 million damages claim and the $300,000 settlement claim being processed simultaneously, it is anticipated that the court will issue a ruling that accounts for the amounts recognized by both parties, potentially resulting in an offsetting judgment.