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K-Pop girl group NewJeans has lost the final verdict in their legal battle against ADOR. On Thursday (October 30), the 41st Civil Division of the Seoul Central Court ruled that the group should stay with their agency ADOR, which is a subsidiary of HYBE, until 2029, rejecting their request to terminate their contract. None of the NewJeans members attended the hearing, and only their legal counsel was present. NJZ Formerly NewJeans Compare Themselves to ‘School Violence Victims’ Amid Legal Dispute With ADOR; Frustrated Fans React ‘Overdramatising Again’. Why Did the Court Rule in Favour of ADOR in Its Legal Battle Against NewJeans? According to the court, NewJeans’ reason for ending their contract with ADOR had no legal basis, as removing Min Hee Jin as CEO did not count as a violation of their agreement. It added that the dismissal of the former CEO did not give the group to terminate their contract. According to K-media E-Daily, the Court said, "The exclusivecontract between the plaintiff (DOR) and the defendant (NewJeans) is still valid. The plaintiff maintains its position as NewJeans' management company and the defendants will bear the legal costs." The court also emphasised that Min Hee Jin's dismissal did not hinder the group from continuing with its regular entertainment-related activities, saying, "It is difficult to conclude that ADOR breached the exclusive contract solely on the grounds of Min Hee Jin's dismissal. The fact that Min was removed from her position as CEO does not in itself mean that a managerial vacum was created or that ADOR became incapable of fulfilling its contractual obligations." Instagram Account of NewJeans View this post on Instagram A post shared by NewJeans (@newjeans_official) How Did the Legal Battle Start? The legal battle between NewJeans and ADOR began in 2024 when the group accused the agency of breaching their contract. Following this, they held a dramatic emergency conference announcing their decision to terminate their contract with ADOR and continue group activities under a new name - NJZ. In December, ADOR responded with a lawsuit asserting that their contract remains valid. ADOR Releases Statement After winning the case over their exclusive contract, ADOR released a statement thanking the court for confirming that they had not violated any terms of the agreement. As per Soompi, ADOR said, "Today, the court ruled that the exclusive contracts between our company ad our artistes NewJeans remain valid in the exclusive contract validity lawsuit. The court determined that our company did not violate any obligations as a management agency and that any attempt to break away from the exclusive contracts should not be permitted. We are deeply grateful for the court's decision." NewJeans Rebrands as NJZ Amid Legal Battle With Former Agency ADOR, K-Pop Girl Group Set to Perform at 2025 ComplexCon Hong Kong (Watch Video). NewJeans to Stay with ADOR till 2029? As per tenasia, NewJeans' exclusive contract with ADOR runs until July 31, 2029, which means the girl group will now have to remain under the agency during that period. Moreover, their contract could be further extended due to the time it was paused during the lawsuit.
