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NewJeans CANNOT pursue independent activities, court rules in favor of ADOR's induction request; know more
NewJeans lost their first case against HYBE's subsidiary ADOR. Read to know the court's verdict.
The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of ADOR, granting their injunction plea against NJZ, formerly known as NewJeans, as reported by K-media The Korea Herald. It meant that the girl group was temporarily banned from signing independent advertisement deals and participating in entertainment activities without ADOR's approval. The court's decision, made on March 20, effectively restricted NJZ from pursuing independent activities under their new name.
It is the latest development in the ongoing legal and public dispute between NJZ and HYBE's subsidiary ADOR. It all started with the girl group's previous announcement of their intention to terminate their exclusive contract with ADOR through a press conference in November 2024. Following that, in February, the K-pop quintet, comprising Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein rebranded from NewJeans to NJZ and even applied for trademarking product production under their new moniker. The girl group also revealed their future activity line-up, disregarding their exclusive contract, which is valid till July 2029.
As a retaliatory move, ADOR filed an injunction to stop their arbitrary acts. Two hearings of the case took place in March and after listening to both sides' claims, the court sustained ADOR's induction request. "In cases where mutual trust between the parties breaks down, an exclusive contract may be terminated by the artist," the court ruled. They further stated, "However, it is the responsibility of the party claiming such a breakdown to prove that the circumstances have reached a point where maintaining the contractual relationship is no longer viable."
As per the judge, NJZ's side failed to provide sufficient evidence to back their claims of being mistreated by their agency. According to their legal representatives, the girl group faced repeated discrimination from HYBE, ADOR's parent company, which allegedly failed to provide equal support compared to other affiliated artists. Their counsel argued that ADOR, being 75% owned by HYBE, lacked independence in decision-making and was therefore equally responsible for HYBE's actions. Responding to that, the court said, “It is difficult to conclude that Ador violated a key obligation under the exclusive contract or that the trust between the parties has broken down to an irreparable extent.”
NewJeans vs ADOR first hearing: Label reveals paying NJZ members 5 billion KRW each as profit fulfilling exclusive contract duty
