The long legal fight between NewJeans and their agency ADOR has finally come to an end — and the court has sided with the company. On October 30, 2025, the Seoul Central District Court (41st Civil Division, Judge Jeong Hoe Il) ruled that ADOR did not violate the group’s exclusive contracts and confirmed that the contracts remain valid.
This means NewJeans will stay under ADOR’s management, unless they decide to appeal.
NewJeans Loses Legal Battle Against ADOR
At the final hearing held at 9:50 a.m., the court announced,
The mere fact that former CEO Min was dismissed from ADOR does not, by itself, mean that a gap occurred in the management of NewJeans, nor does it mean that ADOR lacks a plan or the ability to perform its business. There is also no clause in the exclusive contract that requires former CEO Min to necessarily be in charge of ADOR.
The judge further stated that Min Hee Jin, who has been in conflict with HYBE and ADOR,
It appears that former CEO Min intended to become independent from HYBE, or to become independent together with NewJeans from ADOR and HYBE. It seems that HYBE and ADOR’s audits of Min Hee-jin were caused by such plans, and therefore cannot be regarded as unjust.
In other words, the court didn’t accept NewJeans’ argument that firing Min, the creative producer who led their debut and early success, was enough to end their contract.
The court also dismissed NewJeans’ claim of broken trust, saying,
It is difficult to find that mutual trust between the contracting parties has been broken. The relationship of trust between ADOR and NewJeans cannot be seen as having deteriorated to the extent that maintaining the exclusive contract would be impossible, nor can it be considered a ground for terminating the exclusive contract.
The five members, Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein, were also ordered to cover legal costs.
The ruling also addressed the separate issue involving member Hanni’s testimony about being “ignored” by another label’s manager. During a National Assembly hearing in 2024, Hanni had said that while waiting in a hallway on a makeup floor, a manager from another team allegedly told their artists to “pretend not to see and ignore me.”
However, the court dismissed this claim, stating there wasn’t enough evidence. The ruling explained that CCTV footage from the scene had no audio and thus couldn’t confirm the remarks. HYBE’s security policy and business security teams had investigated the issue and reviewed the footage, but found no proof of misconduct.
The judge stated:
Based on the evidence submitted, it is insufficient to recognize that Hanni heard remarks such as ‘ignore her’ from an ILLIT manager to the extent that her personal rights were infringed.
Immediately after the issue was raised, HYBE requested to check the relevant CCTV footage. As a result, the Security Policy Team and the Business Security Team secured the CCTV recordings.
It appears that these teams, at ADOR’s request, continued to search for additional footage that Hanni and the ILLIT members had later provided. Considering that no audio was recorded in the CCTV footage, even if the scene at that time was captured, it is unlikely that the ILLIT manager’s remarks would have been recorded. In view of these points, it can be regarded that the plaintiff took sufficient measures to verify the facts that Hanni claimed at the time.
How the NewJeans-ADOR Dispute Started
This legal fight has been going on for almost a year.
In November 2024, NewJeans claimed ADOR had breached their exclusive contracts and said they were already terminated. The members said they lost trust in the agency after Min Hee Jin’s dismissal and planned to continue activities independently.
ADOR fired back a month later, filing a lawsuit to confirm the validity of the contracts, insisting the group’s agreement — signed in 2022 and valid until 2029 — was still in force.
ADOR also asked the court for a temporary injunction to stop the members from any independent activities. The court granted that request and blocked NewJeans from performing or signing individual deals without ADOR’s approval.
A Series of Legal Setbacks
Since then, things haven’t gone in NewJeans’ favor.
In March 2025, the court banned them from independent promotions, including a brief attempt to rebrand under the name “NJZ.” Despite the injunction, the group reportedly performed at a festival in Hong Kong and released a song called “Pit Stop.”
In May, the court went further, issuing an indirect compulsory order: if any member carried out entertainment activities without ADOR’s approval, they would owe the company 1 billion won (around $725,000) per violation.
Mediation attempts in August and September failed, leading to the October 30 ruling that ended the case — for now.
What Happens Now?
With the ruling, ADOR has full legal control over NewJeans until their contracts expire in 2029.
The group hasn’t been active for almost a year, and their next move remains uncertain. They could appeal the decision, but legal experts say that even if they do, the chances of overturning the ruling are low unless new evidence appears.
Meanwhile, Min Hee Jin recently launched a new company called “Ooak”, sparking speculation that NewJeans might join her if they won the case. But now, with this ruling, such a move is legally impossible — at least for the foreseeable future.
For fans, the hope is simple: that the group can eventually return to music, whether under ADOR or after a future resolution.
For now, though, the court’s message is clear — NewJeans’ exclusive contracts with ADOR stand firm.