NewJeans members have come up short in a new attempt to overturn an injunction blocking their solo career activities. Photo Credit: TenAsia
The Seoul High Court has rejected NewJeans members’ latest push to overturn a prior ruling putting their independent career activities on ice.
Regional outlets shed light on this newest development in the marathon contract dispute, and Ador (which debuted as a Hybe subsidiary in late 2021) promptly weighed in with a statement.
As we’ve covered in detail, an ugly showdown between now-former Ador head Min Hee-Jin and Hybe brass ultimately boiled over. While that’s the decidedly short version of the convoluted saga, the episode eventually devolved into a contract clash between NewJeans (with which Min has long worked) and Ador.
Following Min’s ouster, the five-piece act issued an ultimatum calling for her reinstatement. And when that failed to materialize, NewJeans moved to terminate its Hybe/Ador pact, citing alleged contractual violations, and set out as a rebranded solo act called NJZ.
Unsurprisingly, the maneuver didn’t sit right with Ador, which denies violating the purportedly still-active contract.
Enter the present courtroom confrontation, currently centering on an injunction blocking the group from performing, releasing music, pursuing sponsorships, or otherwise spearheading professional activities without the involvement of Hybe/Ador.
Technically, there are multiple injunction components in play – with a hefty penalty for any infractions on the part of NewJeans. And as initially mentioned, the Seoul High Court has sided with Hybe/Ador in connection with NewJeans members’ latest appeal.
With that, the court-ordered pause on solo activities will seemingly remain in effect pending the outcome of an overarching lawsuit concerning the validity of the Ador contracts themselves.
As for the possibility of a settlement – resolving the battle would, of course, save plenty of time and money – an on-hiatus NewJeans has thus far emphasized its unwillingness to reconcile with Ador/Hybe. During a hearing earlier in June, the act reiterated that the professional relationship had “crossed a point of no return.”
But at least publicly, Ador has extended several olive branches – besides kicking off an aggressive crackdown on online harassment targeting NewJeans – and noted its desire to see the group pick back up under the company banner.
“We sincerely appreciate the court’s decision,” Ador told DMN of the High Court 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.”
To state the obvious, talent and companies needn’t be best friends to work together, and it’ll be worth monitoring the already-involved situation from here.
More immediately, Ador apparently has other irons in the fire. The Hybe subsidiary this month began an audition process for a global boy band; applicants should be “born in 2006 or later,” the relevant website’s eligibility section shows.
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