Court rules NewJeans have to honour their ADOR contract, dismisses injunction appeal
NewJeans (aka NJZ) have been urged by the Seoul High Court to uphold and honour their existing contract with ADOR.
Earlier this week, the Seoul High Court rejected the an appeal filed by the five members of NewJeans requesting for their contract with label ADOR to be terminated, and upheld the label’s injunction preventing members to enact solo activities without ADOR’s consent.
In March, ADOR filed an injunction against the group requesting to block them from carrying out independent activities under a different moniker. The injunction came after the group independently rebranded themselves as NJZ and were announced to perform at ComplexCon in Hong Kong.
The group would proceed with their ComplexCon performance, where they debuted a new song and announced an indefinite hiatus after a court ruled against the band’s rebranding. “We have decided to stop all activities for the time being in accordance with the court ruling. It wasn’t an easy decision but a necessary one,” they told the crowd, per The Korea Times.
“We knew this wouldn’t be easy from the start,” leader Minji added. “We will continue to voice our opinions while respecting the court’s decision and the process. We have no regrets.”
Following the performance, a court in Seoul upheld ADOR’s injunction request, to which the group filed an appeal against the decision to the High Court.
Tuesday’s hearing, per Rolling Stone, saw the High Court rule in favour of ADOR, effectively declaring that NewJeans will have to honour their existing contracts with the label, and could face penalties if they proceed with independent activities.
Additionally, the court has maintained that NewJeans’ allegations of mistreatment at the hands of ADOR have no standing due to a lack of evidence.
ADOR said in a statement to the press: “We sincerely appreciate the court’s decision. We hope that this ruling will serve as an opportunity for the members to return to their rightful place as NewJeans and resume their activities. As they approach their third debut anniversary next month, ADOR is committed to providing full support for the artists’ further growth and success.”
NewJeans have yet to publicly comment on the latest ruling.
The ruling comes after the group announced earlier this year that they “have no intention of ever returning” to ADOR amid their legal battle with the agency and were cooking up a new identity.
In December 2024, ADOR filed a lawsuit to verify the validity of NewJeans’ contracts after the quintet announced the termination of their contracts with the label. In January, the HYBE subsidiary also filed an injunction against NewJeans to prevent them from signing brand deals as independent artists.
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Surej Singh
NME
