On June 17, the Seoul High Court rejected NewJeans' appeal to work without ADOR, ruling that the group cannot sign ad deals, promote, or do any entertainment-related work without ADOR’s approval.
This comes after the members tried to operate on their own last year. They claimed their contract with ADOR was no longer valid, renamed themselves as NJZ, held a photoshoot, and even appeared at Hong Kong ComplexCon—all without ADOR's permission.
In response, ADOR filed a lawsuit to confirm the contract was still valid, and also got a court injunction to stop NewJeans from promoting solo. Although the members appealed the court’s decision, the High Court sided with ADOR again, dismissing the appeal.
This decision could seriously affect the main contract lawsuit and the ongoing battle between ADOR’s former CEO Min Hee Jin and parent company HYBE.
The court revealed some sharp criticism, saying that Min Hee Jin had tried to take full control of ADOR or NewJeans, which disrupted the successful system that made the group popular.
Even though HYBE tried to replace Min Hee Jin as a producer, the NewJeans members insisted on only working with her—but the court ruled that this wasn’t enough to say that trust between them and ADOR had broken.
Claims that ILLIT copied NewJeans, or that a BELIFT LAB manager said to "ignore Hanni," were also thrown out by the court as lacking solid proof.
One big issue was the group’s appearance at ComplexCon in Hong Kong. The court said it gave the impression that their contract with ADOR had ended, which could hurt ADOR financially and damage the NewJeans brand image.
The court also rejected the idea that blocking the group’s solo activities would cause them harm, saying, “This delay was caused by the members themselves for not following their contract.”
Because of the court’s ruling, NewJeans is now banned from:
- Making or releasing music
- Joining any broadcast or public events
- Signing CFs or brand deals
- Doing any entertainment activities as public figures
unless ADOR gives permission.
So what’s next?
There are a few possibilities:
- Wait for the main lawsuit to end – This could take time, and if the courts continue to side with ADOR, NewJeans may be forced to stay under the company or face even bigger legal risks.
- Return to ADOR – Although the members once said they crossed a “river they can’t return from,” ADOR has kept the door open for talks. Still, it’s unclear whether ADOR would promote them like before.
- Pay the penalty fee – If NewJeans decides to officially end their contract, the estimated fee could be 400 to 600 billion won (about $290–435 million USD) based on their earnings and the contract period left. If they wait until the final trial is over, this could be reduced—but it would still cost hundreds of billions of won.
As legal experts weigh in, many say the court’s recent ruling is a major blow to NewJeans’ chances in the main trial.
Now, all eyes are on the group. Will they return to ADOR, pay the price, or continue the legal fight? Fans and the industry are watching closely.
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