NewJeans, who is in a dispute over their exclusive contract with their agency Ador, is entering into a lawsuit to confirm the validity of the exclusive contract.
The 41st Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Chief Judge Jeong Hoe-il) will hold the first hearing of the lawsuit filed by Ador against the members of NewJeans to confirm the validity of the exclusive contract on the morning of the 3rd.
NewJeans and Ador have been in a dispute over the exclusive contract since November of last year. On November 29 of last year, NewJeans notified Ador of the termination of their exclusive contract and announced that they would begin independent activities under the new name NJZ.
In response, Ador stated, “Claiming that trust has been unilaterally broken cannot be a reason for termination,” and filed a lawsuit for confirmation of the validity of the exclusive contract against NewJeans on December 3 of last year. Subsequently, on January 6, they also applied for an injunction to prohibit the preservation of the agency's status and the signing of advertising contracts.
On March 21, the court made a decision to 'fully grant' the injunction filed by Ador regarding the preservation of the agency's status and the signing of advertising contracts.
The court stated, “Ador has fulfilled most of its important obligations under the exclusive contract, such as settlement obligations,” and “the necessity to prohibit activities as a singer or commercial activities as an entertainer has been substantiated before the main judgment.”
According to the court's judgment, NewJeans is prohibited from engaging in independent activities without prior approval or consent from Ador until the first instance result of the main lawsuit is announced.
On the day the injunction was granted, NewJeans submitted an objection to the court as a sign of 'disagreement' and declared a halt to their activities on the Hong Kong stage two days later.
NewJeans stated ahead of the main lawsuit, “We expect that we will be able to utilize the civil procedure law system more freely to secure necessary evidence, which will significantly strengthen the evidence supporting the members' claims,” and expressed their determination to clarify once again that the contract was lawfully terminated.
