Min Hee-Jin Vs HYBE: Court REACTS To Audit Controversy, Says Former ADOR CEO's 'Public Campaign' NOT To 'Protect NewJeans But...'

HYBE's

audit against former ADOR CEO Min Hee-Jin was NOT an act of retaliation, the court said. As part of its ruling in the ongoing legal dispute over NewJeans' exclusive contract with ADOR, the court also reacted to Min's claims that HYBE dismissed her as the former CEO of its subsidiary label, ADOR in August of last year.ALSO READ: NewJeans Loses Case Against ADOR: Court Holds Contract Valid In Final Verdict; Asserts 'Min Hee-Jin Waged Public Opinion War...'

Court reacts to Min Hee-Jin, HYBE's audit controversy

On October 30, the Seoul Central District Court's Civil Division 41 (Chief Judge Jung Hoe Il) delivered its ruling in the lawsuit filed by ADOR to confirm the validity of its exclusive contract with the five members of NewJeans: Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein. The court favoured the company, and even spoke on the audit controversy between Min Hee-Jin and HYBE.The court ruled that HYBE's audit of Min, who had launched a media campaign alleging that ILLIT and LE SSERAFIM copied NewJeans, was lawful. "It is difficult to conclude that ADOR breached the exclusive contract solely by dismissing former CEO Min Hee Jin. Even if Min Hee Jin was removed from the CEO position, she could have continued her producer duties as a director on the board, and it was not necessary for her to remain CEO to do so," the court said.

Min Hee-Jin's 'public campaign'

The bench clarified, "It is hard to see whether Min Hee Jin’s dismissal is a core issue that determines the continued validity of the exclusive contract, and there is no clause in the contract that provides a basis for this.” They added, “Even if the defendants (NewJeans) had great trust in former CEO Min Hee Jin, that alone does not constitute grounds to terminate the exclusive contract.""Former CEO Min Hee Jin was the first to start a public campaign after April 3 and April 11, 2024. She waged this movement not to protect NewJeans but for the purpose of achieving independence," it stated.

About Min Hee-Jin's accusation against HYBE, LE SSERAFIM, ILLIT

Min held a press conference in April 2024, and publicly disclosed her conflicts with HYBE Chairman Bang Si-Hyuk and others. According to her, HYBE prioritised LE SSERAFIM over NewJeans as the company's first girl group, thus preventing ADOR from promoting NewJeans until LE SSERAFIM's debut. Min further accused ILLIT of "copying NewJeans' concept."Following the accusations, LE SSERAFIM's agency Source Music filed a 5 billion KRW (approx. 3.5 million USD) defamation lawsuit against Min. Even ILLIT's agency filed a 20 billion KRW (approx. 14 million USD) damages suit, claiming her remarks caused harm to their artists.ALSO READ: ADOR Reacts To Court Ruling Against NewJeans, Claims 'Full-Length Album, Future Activities' Preps For Group Complete - FULL Statement

NewJeans terminates contract with ADOR

Later, in November 2024, NewJeans held an emergency press conference where the members declared the termination of their contract with ADOR, citing breach of obligations from the company. ADOR, on its part filed a lawsuit in December 2024 to confirm the validity of the contract, arguing that NewJeans had unilaterally ended it.