ADOR files lawsuit to confirm validity of NewJeans' contract

HYBE sublabel ADOR has filed a lawsuit to reaffirm the validity of NewJeans' exclusive contract.

According to Soompi, ADOR said in a statement that the lawsuit filed on Tuesday was an "inevitable decision" they had to take to clarify to concerned parties that the contract cannot suddenly be terminated "based on one-sided claims."

"It is with heavy hearts that we share this news, but it is to prevent any misunderstandings that the artists might have about the legality of the contract termination, which could lead to violations of the current exclusive contract in their entertainment activities, causing unexpected damage and confusion among domestic and international industry stakeholders," the statement read.

ADOR said that the contract is based on a mutual agreement between the artist and agency, and not upholding the agreement would result in "powerless and irrecoverable" loss on the part of the agency.

It also reiterated the need for discussions with NewJeans, who have not yet replied to their requests for communications.

"ADOR's stance on continuing with NewJeans remains unchanged… We will make continuous efforts to resolve any unnecessary misunderstandings between the artists and the agency. We will do our best to repay the love for NewJeans' music with better activities," it said.

NewJeans girl group announced their decision to leave ADOR through a press conference on November 28 due to alleged mistreatment and inaction on alleged breach of contract on part of the agency.

"This is not the type of work ethic we respect nor want to be a part of, and to continue working under a company with no intention of protecting NewJeans would only do us harm," Hanni said.

While ADOR responded that the contract remains valid and that "unilaterally broken" trust was not a viable ground for contract termination, the girl group declared in a separate statement that their contract had officially been terminated and that they felt no need to file injunctions.

"We have faithfully fulfilled our contractual obligations as ADOR's artists. The termination of the contract is solely due to ADOR's breach of duty, and we are not liable for any penalties," said NewJeans.

"We can no longer remain with ADOR, which fails to fulfill its basic duty of protecting its artists, and maintaining the contract would only cause us severe mental distress. Thus, we have concluded that we must leave ADOR. Furthermore, we have been hurt and shocked by numerous amounts of media play based on false information. We hope that such situations will not occur after our contract termination."

—Jiselle Anne Casucian/MGP, GMA Integrated News