"We were all just really kind of in shock" — NJZ's Danielle confesses she really believed they would win the court injunction & lawsuit against ADOR

On March 26, 2025, NewJeans, aka NJZ, gave an exclusive interview to BBC where they discussed the ongoing legal battle with ADOR. Danielle, a member of the K-pop group, expressed her astonishment following the Seoul Central District Court's decision to grant an injunction in favor of the agency.

In the interview, Danielle revealed that she and her bandmates were taken aback by the court's ruling. She said that the group was certain that they would win the injunction.

"I was obviously expecting the alternative results, so I think it was a moment where we were all just really kind of in shock. I guess we just really wanted to be able to work. And to be able to do the work we love, without these misleading and false lies getting in the way," she said.

Danielle emphasized that the group's primary motivation throughout the legal proceedings was the desire to continue their work in the music industry without constraints.

The conflict between NewJeans and ADOR began in November 2024 when the members announced the termination of their contracts, citing breaches by ADOR. They subsequently started independent activities under the new name NJZ.

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NJZ's hiatus amid legal dispute with ADOR: A comprehensive overview

The discord between NewJeans and ADOR began in August 2024 when ADOR's former CEO, Min Hee-jin, was dismissed from her position. Min Hee-jin was the label head till August 2024, and then she was replaced by Kim Joo-young.

This happened after ADOR's parent company, HYBE, discovered through an internal audit that Min Hee-jin was trying to take over NewJeans and get full control of ADOR.

In September 2024, the members conducted a surprise YouTube livestream demanding Min Hee-jin's reinstatement, but their request was unsuccessful. ADOR's independent board of directors refused to re-appoint Min Hee-jin as the label's CEO due to breach of trust. However, in October 2024, they re-hired her as an internal director to supervise NewJeans.

In November 2024, the NewJeans members announced their intention to terminate their contracts with ADOR. The girls claimed breaches of agreement and mistreatment. They claimed that HYBE allegedly mistreated them compared to other groups, such as LE SSERAFIM and ILLIT.

In response, ADOR filed a lawsuit in December 2024 and an injunction in January 2025 to prevent the group from engaging in independent activities without the agency's consent.

In February 2025, NewJeans renamed itself as NJZ to assert its independence from ADOR and HYBE. On March 21, 2025, the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of ADOR, granting the injunction and prohibiting NewJeans from conducting independent activities, including signing advertising contracts.

The court emphasized that the group's attempt to rebrand itself as NJZ and operate independently could seriously damage ADOR's reputation and contractual rights. As per the injunction, ADOR regained its agency rights on the girl group.

On April 3, 2025, the parties will have their first hearing on the contract validity lawsuit at the Seoul Central District Court. Meanwhile, on March 23, 2025, NewJeans proceeded with their scheduled performance at ComplexCon Hong Kong on March 23, 2025.

During the event, they debuted a new single titled Pit Stop under the name NJZ and announced their temporary hiatus. They told the fans present at the venue that they refuse to go back to ADOR and work with them as they feel unsafe.

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Meanwhile, News 1 reported that NJZ had filed an objection to repel court's decision on the injunction verdict. The hearing will take place on April 9, 2025, at 2 PM KST.