‘NewJeans’ Claims, All Dismissed’… Court Ruling Bans Independent Activities

On March 21, the Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Division 50 (Presiding Judge Kim Sang-hoon) ruled in favor of ADOR’s injunction request against the five NewJeans members (Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein) to maintain the agency’s status and prohibit them from signing independent advertising contracts. Previously, in January, ADOR filed an injunction to prevent the members from independently signing advertising contracts. Later ADOR, expanded the scope of the injunction to ban not only advertising deals but also all entertainment activities, including songwriting, composing, singing, and other music-related work.

NewJeans members personally appeared in court on March 7^th for the injunction hearing, where both sides fiercely debated the validity of the exclusive contract termination for over two hours. ADOR argued that the grounds for the contract termination claimed by the members did not exist, while NewJeans countered that ADOR had failed to fulfill its contractual obligations. The court ultimately ruled in favor of ADOR, stating that there were no valid grounds for contract termination and granting ADOR’s request to ban NewJeans from engaging in independent activities. Notably, the court dismissed all 11 reasons cited by NewJeans for terminating their contract. The ruling stated, ‘Based solely on the arguments and evidence submitted by the defendants (NewJeans members), it is difficult to conclude that the plaintiff (ADOR) violated significant contractual obligations or that the trust between the parties has been irreparably damaged.’

Following the ruling, ADOR and NewJeans had contrasting reactions. ADOR immediately released a statement expressing gratitude for the court’s decision, saying, ‘We deeply appreciate the court’s wise judgment. Now that ADOR’s legal status as NewJeans’ agency has been reaffirmed, we will take full responsibility for supporting our artists. This weekend’s ComplexCon performance will proceed under the name of ADOR’s NewJeans, with full on-site support.’ ADOR further stated, ‘We sincerely hope to meet with the artists soon for an honest discussion. We kindly ask for warm support and encouragement for NewJeans as they continue to grow with ADOR.’

However, NewJeans firmly rejected ADOR’s call for reconciliation. Through social media, the members stated, ‘We respect the court’s decision. However, this ruling does not fully take into account the complete breakdown of trust between the members and ADOR.’ They added, ‘We will challenge today’s injunction decision through an appeal and present additional evidence to support our claims.’ NewJeans also emphasized that their main lawsuit to confirm the termination of their exclusive contract is still ongoing. ‘At the hearing scheduled for April 3, we will once again prove that the contract has been legally terminated,’ they stated.

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