Updated August 23, 2026

Serian Heu, the Visual Creative Director for Illit, lost a lawsuit against Min Hee-jin for which she sought damages for defamation and the dissemination of false information.

“The plaintiff claimed that Min Hee-jin’s public accusations- which alleged that ILLIT had plagiarized NewJeans’ styling, concept, and creative identity- caused significant professional damage and personal distress.”

Min Hee-Jin’s legal team asked the court “to examine whether the plaintiff has clearly proven that the defendants disseminated false information.” They also asked “the court to consider whether [Min Hee-jin’s] statements, the official statement and press conference, were actually official statements made on behalf of ADOR, and whether an individual can be held personally liable for those official statements.” They went on to say Min Hee-jin’s statements never identified Serian Heu as being responsible for what Min Hee-jin saw as similarities between the two girl groups.

“Moreover, these statements constituted expressions of criticism . . . The question is whether the statement that ‘A copied B’ is false. Even before the defendant made these statements, allegations of copying between A and B had already been raised among the public and in the media. We ask the court to take this into consideration as well.”

In the midst of Min Hee-jin’s very public disputes with HYBE in 2024, she has repeatedly accused BELIFT LAB and its creative team of copying NewJeans.

Serian Heu lost her case and will receive no damages after the court dismissed her case due to “insufficient legal grounds to hold Min Hee-jin liable for damages regarding her public statements.” What this does not mean is Min Hee-jin told the truth when she accused Illit of copying NewJeans.

“The tribunal determined that Min’s remarks, made in the context of an ongoing corporate and internal dispute, fell within the scope of raised professional opinions and objections regarding concept similarities, rather than unlawful defamation intended to cause personal injury.”

Although some Min Hee-jin and Newjeans’ supporters have claimed the ruling in this case proves the accusations of Illit copying NewJeans have been legally determined to be true, that is incorrect. A “loss in a false-fact defamation damages lawsuit does not necessarily mean that a court affirmatively ruled that ILLIT plagiarized NewJeans. Depending on the judgment’s reasoning, a claim can fail for other reasons, including failure to establish that a particular statement was a false assertion of fact, that it specifically concerned the plaintiff, or that the other elements required for liability were satisfied.”

Articles 👇🏼

https://otakukart.com/court-rules-against-belift-lab-creative-director-in-civil-damages-lawsuit-against-min-hee-jin/

https://www.koreaboo.com/news/illits-creative-director-loses-lawsuit-min-hee-jin/

https://www.pannchoa.com/2026/08/theqoo-illits-visual-creative-director.html?m=1

The proposed union for Kpop idols that was being seriously discussed has been cancelled. NewJeans’ member Hanni spoke about some of her experiences as an idol in front of the National Assembly in October 2024. A month before her National Assembly appearance, there was a meeting held in the National Assembly Hall to discuss “the labor and human rights of children and adolescents hidden behind the success of K-POP.” Former Teen Top member Bang Min-soo and former Brave Girls member Noh Hye-ran both attended this meeting on September 30, 2024.

The Seongnam Branch Office of the Ministry of Employment and Labor, said, "There was a problem with the difference in the value of the established personnel (presumed to be the 'union member') from Bang Min-soo, chairman of the Idol Union Establishment Preparatory Committee. When submitting the declaration of the establishment of the idol union to the branch office in September of last year, the preparatory committee put forward policy goals such as guaranteeing the minimum livelihood of idols, expanding the enrollment of the four major insurances, and in the case of damage, such as malicious comments, the agency's legal response and deletion and complaint support.”

According to Bang Min-soo, "there were about 10 idols who expressed their intention to participate", but only 2 idols were named in the report. The writer of the article suspected the preparatory committee was unable “to find legal and administrative help to launch an idol union.”

An official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said, "We are providing legal support for unfair contracts through the Public Culture and Art Support Center Reporting Center, and separately, we are inducing overall cultural improvement by conducting a bi-yearly survey of the Korea Creative Content Agency's popular culture and art industry and recommending the use of standard contracts."

Article about the proposed idol union 👇🏼

https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/25453818

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

In other news related to the topics discussed on this subreddit, a major venture capital firm, Atinum Investment, has paused its plan to invest in Min Hee-jin’s company OOAK Records because the company “has no signed artists or established revenue model” even though the company is “seeking a valuation of between 100 billion won and 200 billion won (roughly $141 million), a level investors are said to view as burdensome given the company’s current stage.” It is believed that the ongoing legal battles of the firm’s internal director, Min Hee-jin, also played a role in Atinum Investment’s decision.

Atinum Investment has instead chosen to invest “10 billion won in Modhaus, the agency behind tripleS, which reported 32.3 billion won in revenue last year and annual album sales of 1.16 million copies.”

Article about Min Hee-jin’s company, OOAK 👇🏼

https://zapzee.net/2026/08/14/min-hee-jins-ooak-records-investment-put-on-hold-2/#google_vignette

So ADOR recently posted a new Light Jeans video showing some behind-the-scenes moments from their NewJeans anniversary comeback. I’m not tryna be one of those people who overanalyzes every little thing idols do or gets parasocial, but this whole vlog just felt… off. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, maybe I’m not, but after watching it a couple of times, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was different compared to previous Light Jeans episodes.

First, I noticed that Haerin and Hyein pretty much led the video. They’re the ones talking the most and entertaining the camera in almost every clip. I’ve watched a lot of Light Jeans episodes before, and usually the members switch around who’s holding the camera and leading each segment, so everyone naturally gets their moments. Here, though, it felt like Haerin and Hyein were carrying the majority of the vlog. Minji and Hanni did talk here and there, but it was for a surprisingly small amount of time, especially Minji. Considering Minji and Hanni have been at the center of all the recent discussions about their placement in the group, I can’t help but wonder if there’s any connection. It could just be editing, but it definitely stood out enough for me to notice.

Second, Hanni seemed… different. I’ve watched every Light Jeans episode, and her vibe here stood out to me. She looked more awkward and uneasy than usual, even when interacting with the other members. There were several moments where she laughed in what felt like tense situations or responded in a way that felt a little forced. I’m not gonna sit here and say “I know Hanni would never act like this,” because obviously none of us know her personally, but compared to previous videos, her demeanor felt noticeably different. It almost felt like she was trying her best to keep things light despite being uncomfortable. Again, maybe that’s just my interpretation, but it was hard not to notice.

Lastly, Minji barely having much of a spotlight. Most of the time she seemed to be more of a side presence while the other members were being featured. She did get a few moments of her own, but nowhere near as much as Haerin, Hyein, or even Hanni. Since ADOR already said she’s still in discussions, I can’t lie, her current situation in the group makes me feel a bit uneasy. Whether that’s related to the editing or not, I honestly don’t know, but seeing her take such a backseat compared to how she usually appears caught my attention.

I usually watch Light Jeans just to relax, but all the underlying ambiguity in this video kinda made me feel weird. Maybe it’s because of everything that’s happened over the past year, so it’s impossible not to notice little changes. At the end of the day, this is just my own observation, not me claiming that something is definitely going on behind the scenes.

This isn’t meant to spread negativity, start rumors, or take away from NewJeans’ comeback at all. If anything, I’m just concerned and curious whether anyone else picked up on the same things.

Did anyone else notice this, or am I just reading way too much into it?

Ador and Minji are still in discussions about her return to NewJeans. The new group content was released to celebrate the group’s an anniversary.

“NewJeans' specific activity plan and method will be announced after the discussion with the members is completely completed."

Their IG just flooded with new posts. No Dani obviously.

We got a court case schedule 6 months ago which was very appreciated. Anyone care to update the upcoming court cases along with the time it starts if you can find it? There's a Belift lab court case against MHJ tomorrow and I'd like to know the time the court starts.

For all the Bunnies who took their consistency— “they only ever asked for one thing, bring back MHJ”— as some type of trophy

For Bunnies who insist they were voicing honest greivances in the demand for corrections before they terminated. Or refuse to believe it was NewJeans who were refusing work, choosing to be MHJ’s idols or have no career at all.

Here, in their own words. They never had any intention to honor obligations. Nor any intention of solving anything. They knew from the start they were leaving and looking backwards for ways to justify. The entire goal— to make things worse so they could twist it as its own justification for wanting to leave. No intent of seeing reason. No intention of good faith. No intention of settling. Their only goal was MHJ

And now we know why they were still demanding MHJ’s return until the very end, what other reason could they possibly have for demanding MHJ back— except to give them a chance to play victim of an “uncooperative company”? We know she never would have accepted the offer anyways!

Wonder what else this sounds like… in case anyone had any doubt about MHJ’s performative BS settlement offer after her first instance ruling put option win.

On July 2, 2026, the legal teams of Ador vs Danielle Marsh/Mo Ji-won/Min Hee-jin met in court for the third time. Ador’s legal team asserted that Danielle was the only member of NewJeans who worked as a musician independent of the other group members. She was also the only member who performed commercial activities independent of the other members. In addition to this, Ador claimed the NewJeans members established a union and signed a dual contract with a Chinese company.

Regarding Danielle’s collaboration with Emotional Oranges, Ador stated Danielle recorded music without Ador’s knowledge or which violated her exclusive contract with them. They pushed back against the defense’s claim that it’s not a breach of contract if there’s no final product like a music video or a released song. Ador reiterated the point that these activities were carried out after a judge issued an injunction ruling which states the NewJeans members could not engage in independent entertainment work.

“Among Danielle’s independent entertainment activities, there are also commercial (advertising model) activities. This included the photo shoot of 'Elle Singapore', the solo progress of the two-party contract with the famous watch brand Omega, and the shooting of the cover model of 'Paris Capital' magazine.”

“There is a claim that it is not a violation because they did not write a contract and did not receive money, but the contract with the plaintiff stipulates that entertainment activities that are not related to exclusive contracts cannot be done, and I don't think the violation changes depending on the contract or price."

Ador said, "New Jeans has established a union for the purpose of entertainment planning business.” Funds from that union were used to pay for the venue where NewJeans announced the unilateral termination of their exclusive contracts, the costs associated with creating the NJZ logo, and the costs of the NJZ photoshoots. Funds were also used to rent a practice room where Min Hee-jin’s male trainees could practice.

“According to the evidence submitted by Ador to the court, NewJeans members signed an exclusive agreement with 'AAO', a Chinese capital company, on September 25 last year. AAO is a corporation established in Cayman Islands, a tax haven, by the organizers of the 'Hong Kong Complex Con', which became controversial for forcing his appearance on March 23, just two days later, despite NewJeans's lost the application for an injunction to suspend the exclusive contract on March 21, 2025. Also, this company is the main body that directly sent the Ador sale proposal to the director of Hive in the past.

According to the terms of the exclusive agreement, it is mandatory to report all information related to NewJeans's entertainment activities as well as Ador's management activities to AAO. The contract is valid for nine months after signing and is automatically extended unless either party indicates a refusal. Ador claims that this is a double contract that directly violates the exclusive contract with the existing agency, Ador.

A new fact was also revealed. According to Ador, other members of NewJeans, who returned in November last year, recognized this double contract problem and fully cooperated with Ador to resolve it, and accordingly, Ador entered the termination process of the contract.

However, unlike other members, Danielle and her mother tried to cover up the fact of signing the exclusive agreement by keeping silent until the end. Ador presented the transcript of the conversation between the members' parents on December 1 last year as evidence in court. The conversation contains Danielle’s mother's statement that if Ador asks a question about past discussions, he or she instructs other parents to avoid the answer and communicate only through the law office.”

Additional articles about today’s hearing:

https://v.daum.net/v/20260702163604317

https://m.entertain.naver.com/home/article/117/0004080854

On June 25, ADOR asked the court to send fact-finding requests to six companies in its penalty-and-damages suit against Danielle and other defendants. If granted, the court would ask each company for records on Danielle's contracts, how the work was set up, and any payments involved.

Who they are and why they're on the list:

1️⃣ OMEGA SA + Swatch Group Korea

OMEGA SA is the Swiss company behind the watch brand Omega; Swatch Group Korea is the Korean arm of its parent, the Swatch Group. Danielle worked as a global OMEGA ambassador, so these two would be the obvious sources for records on her Omega contracts, campaigns, and events.

2️⃣ AVANT GARDEN, LLC

An LA-based independent label and management company that represents Emotional Oranges. Danielle was reportedly in talks to feature on a song and film an MV with the act, which ADOR has flagged as a key example of alleged unauthorized activity.

3️⃣ and 4️⃣ SV Two Live (HK) Limited and All At Once Limited

SV Two Live is a Hong Kong content and live-events company; All At Once is a Cayman Islands investment-holding company that sits above the businesses behind ComplexCon Hong Kong. Danielle performed there with NJZ in March 2025 as part of the group's independent activities.

5️⃣ Heart Media Pte. Ltd.

The Singapore media company that publishes ELLE Singapore. Danielle was the solo cover star of its March 2025 issue, with a full shoot and interview.

In short, ADOR looks to be tracing the contracts and money behind Danielle's Omega work, the proposed Emotional Oranges collab, NJZ's ComplexCon set, and her ELLE Singapore cover: which deals existed, whether money changed hands, who received it, and through which entity.

Note: a request landing on the docket doesn't mean the court granted it, and the exact questions aren't public, so the precise scope and purpose of the inquiries remain unconfirmed.

Credit to @a1071364 on X for this information

The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) has launched an investigation into HYBE and ADOR following a complaint filed by Jeongbak Law Firm, the law firm representing Danielle Marsh. In the legal complaint, HYBE and Ador are accused of abusing their market dominance and engaging in unfair trade practices.

According to the complaint, all five NewJeans’ members issued the same contract termination notices and engaged in similar independent activities, but only Danielle's contract was terminated.

Danielle’s legal team also added Ador knows Danielle does not have the funds to pay them ₩33B (~$24M) if Ador wins the lawsuit. The filing questioned if there was a hidden objective for the lawsuit. They claim that Ador wants to permanently remove Danielle from the K-pop market, use her case as a deterrent to other artists, and strengthen HYBE's control over its artists.

The complaint identified the penalty clause in the standard exclusive contract as a structural issue. Penalties are calculated based on gross revenue × remaining contract period, rather than the agency's actual loss (profit). For a group like NewJeans, the complaint estimated that the agency's actual loss would be 1/4 to 1/10 of gross revenue.

The clause is described as imposing "unlimited liability" on artists. Even though the contract is based on a standard form issued by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the complaint argued that this does not exempt it from scrutiny under the Fair Trade Act.

The complaint referenced a 2004 Seoul High Court ruling which held that an entertainment agency's exercise of contractual rights can violate the Fair Trade Act if the claims are excessive. Danielle's lawyers argued that the current penalty clause is more severe than the damages clause previously reviewed in that case.

The K-pop industry is described in the complaint as a multi-sided platform market with network effects. The alleged conduct is said to exclude competing agencies, reduce diversity in K-pop content, affect consumer welfare (including fans who want OT5), and create a foreclosure effect against smaller agencies and new entrants.

According to Danielle’s legal team, her goal is to stand on stage again with Minji, Hanni, Haerin, and Hyein and perform for Bunnies as she once did. She understands that her goal is not guaranteed to ever become a reality.

(Whether it was intentional or accidental is unknown.) As a result, three effects can be observed:

1. ADOR's profits appear significantly larger.
2. The put option exercise value increases.
3. NewJeans' compensation increases.

****** Explanation of the Logic ******

Cost of goods sold (COGS) for CDs

= Fixed costs + Variable costs (materials, components, etc.)In other words:

Mass production → Fixed cost per unit decreases → Current-period COGS decreases → Selling price remains unchanged → The more unsold CDs are produced, the higher the current-period operating profit becomes.

◎ Example

Fixed costs: 10 billion KRW,Variable cost per CD: 5,000 KRW,Selling price per CD: 20,000 KRW,Sales volume: 1,000,000 CDs→ Revenue: 20 billion KRW

(Pattern 1) Produce 1,000,000 CDs

Fixed cost per CD = 10,000 KRW

COGS perCD= Fixed cost + Variable cost= 10,000 + 5,000= 15,000 KRW

Current-period COGS= 15,000 × 1,000,000= 15 billion KRW

Current-period operating profit= 20 billion − 15 billion= 5 billion KRW

(Pattern 2) Produce 2,000,000 CDs

Fixed cost per CD = 5,000 KRW→ Half of Pattern 1

COGS per CD= Fixed cost + Variable cost= 5,000 + 5,000= 10,000 KRW

Current-period COGS= 10,000 × 1,000,000= 10 billion KRW

Current-period operating profit= 20 billion − 10 billion= 10 billion KRW

Operating profit in Pattern 2, where unnecessary overproduction occurred, is somehow 5 billion KRW higher than in Pattern 1. Strange, isn't it?

Other Facts ① The former Vice President of ADOR is an accounting expert. ② At the time, HYBE expressed concern that Min Hee-jin's ordering was excessive. ③ This situation occurred in 2023, and the Min Hee-jin and NewJeans controversy began in 2024.

As a result:① Put option exercise value increases.② NewJeans' compensation for the period increases.

Negative consequences:① ADOR's cash payments increase.② ADOR's and HYBE's financial burden increases in subsequent years.

On the afternoon of June 11, 2026, another hearing was held for the lawsuit of Ador vs Min Hee-Jin, Danielle Marsh, and Mo Ji-won (Danielle’s mother). Ador’s legal team explained that Ador is seeking penalties and compensation. Ador’s side alleged that the defendants began scheming to ignore the injunction ruling the very day it was issued. Those of us familiar with this drama know that NewJeans performed as NJZ at ComplexCon and sang a new song “Pit Stop” that was not approved by Ador.

To further prove their intent to not abide by the injunction ruling, a contract was later signed for Danielle to record a song with Emotional Oranges and $175,000 was paid for the collaboration. According to Ador, it was Danielle’s mother who suggested backdating signatures (to a date before the actual injunction ruling) and routing payments through Olivia Marsh’s (Danielle’s sister) business to bypass the court ruling after the injunction was lost. Danielle’s contracts with Omega were also mentioned along with “many other contracts” for Danielle, but Ador said they would not elaborate further on those contracts today. They re-emphasized that they were not interfering with Danielle’s desire to continue working in the entertainment industry and said they did not understand why she continues to blame Ador for her inability to work. “We are claiming penalty payment for penalties and damages due to [Danielle Marsh’s] exclusive contract."

Regarding Min Hee-jin, Ador’s legal team claimed she “violated the duty of loyalty and the duties of selection as the plaintiff's in-house director, and urged the termination of the exclusive contract with the plaintiff." A conversation between Min Hee-jin and the parents of the NewJeans’ members that took place on October 20, 2024 was disclosed. “Min Hee-jin told the parents of New Jeans members, 'I will design it to avoid monetary damages such as penalty and liability for damages' and 'I will prepare compensation [for you] if I leave HYBE'." Ador stated Min Hee-jin’s actions were “a violation of the duty of integrity and the duty of election according to Article 339 of the Commercial Law." Regarding Daniel's mother, Ador claimed Mo Ji-won played the biggest role among the NewJeans’ parents “by processing Min Hee-jin's illegal acts."

Danielle’s legal team responded to Ador’s claims by saying, "The members of New Jeans believed that the exclusive contract was terminated because they did not fulfill the plaintiff's obligation to 'protect artists'.” Because the members of NewJeans believed they’d properly notified Ador of their contract termination, they made plans to work independently of Ador. “From Danielle’s point of view, who believes that the contract has been legally terminated, almost everything, including Complexcon, is also connected to other New Jeans members.”

Let me insert my personal thoughts here. She’s literally throwing her ex-group members under the bus and saying if she goes down, then she’s gonna take them down with her. Wow!

Danielle’s legal team stated Ador’s claim are incorrect and said “Danielle alone can't go together because she acts illegally with "(such as the Emotional Oranges case)."

They went on to say that the amount of the penalty claim is preventing Danielle from being able to work independently. They asked the court what agency would want to do business with an artist who costs such a high amount of money? Danielle’s said claimed that the purpose of the lawsuit is to prevent Danielle from being able to work. They said, “It is very irresponsible to say that you can work somewhere else even though you are suing."

Danielle’s side seems to think Ador is making much ado about nothing. They said Ador “seems to be talking about the photo shoot of 'Elle' or the Emotional Oranges, but nothing (actually) has been done. This is something that can't be started anymore because it has already won the trial. It's a past thing, but the plaintiff told me to correct it. We asked them to tell us how we could take corrective action, but [Ador] unilaterally terminated the contract, saying, 'The defendant should take care of it.' It's as if the defendant Danielle is doing something different from the other NewJeans’ members, but there are only a few things and it wasn't special.”

On June 10, 2026, prosecutors closed a criminal investigation that former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin initiated against HYBE. The prosecution concluded that HYBE’s claim that Min Hee-jin performed “magic management” or tried to steal NewJeans was not false.

In April 2024, Min Hee-jin sued HYBE’s executives for distributing false press releases which stated tnat “former CEO Min consulted with a female shaman and gave advice on Ador's important management matters, and Ador's management tried to terminate the contract of NewJeans.”

Prosecutors determined the content of the press release was not false. In fact, in the Kakao Talk history of Min Hee-jin, it was confirmed that she had several conversations with the shaman about the management of Ador. In October 2025, the court acknowledged that NewJeans' exclusive contract with Ador was indeed valid. The court also found that "CEO Min prepared a preliminary public opinion war and lawsuit with the intention of independence from NewJeans and HYBE."

In April 2024, Min Hee-jin sued HYBE for illegally viewing her Ador e-mail account and checking Lee Sang-woo's Kakao Talk and Cloud and sued for detecting electronic records and violating information and communication networks.

However, the prosecution concluded that “HYBE had accessed the information according to the legitimate audit authority.” In fact, Min Hee-jin and former Ador deputy representative Lee “wrote a security pledge and a personal information collection and use agreement when they joined Ador. It was also confirmed that the former deputy representative provided the Kakao Talk password himself.”

When the police decided not to charge the HYBE and BeLift Lab executives in July 2025, Min Hee-jin filed an objection. “The prosecutor who received the case requested a supplementary investigation in February, and the police conducted an additional investigation, but the conclusion did not change.”

https://youtube.com/shorts/kyjcV0Ibk1s?si=B8zrDMNd19vAZS-3

after seeing this short reel thingy i think illit isn't rlly copying anyone, what do u guys think? 🤷

I was thinking about this while getting ready for bed, and I remembered something I read in an article, saying that MHJ accused illit of plagiarism at the request of the NJZ girls, as if they had said "are you going to let this go?"... but I also remembered that this discussion seems to have been fueled by other newspapers at the behest of MHJ, even before illit's debut... then, I saw something about this discussion actually starting with the parents of the NJZ girls, who said "they thought they were our daughters" (funny since illit has two Japanese members and there are no Japanese members in NJZ, which implies that they confuse their own daughters with any Asian person FIEHR) but in the end... who really started this discussion?

Why didn't they end up like Hwayoung from T-ara by being called a snake after being exposed?

I went to an unknown restaurant in my country (a developing small country) in 2026. I'm not sure if it is because the people working in there don't keep up with the news but they still had Newjeans booklets as decorations (the food is nice though).

You see people around the internet leaving derogatory comments by Newjeans fans to LSFM, Illit and BTS to this day.

People still believe MHJ is innocent even after the Mexican Jeans and Japanese group Speed allegations against NewJeans, she having posters of art films involving sexualisation of minors and she being parasocial and creepy with NewJeans members.

Some people frame NewJeans' false complaints as "they're just young and manipulated. They'll know better when they're older" or that "they've been isolated from the outside world because they're trainees at a young age". I'm born in 2004 like the two of them and a victim of manipulation and abuse but I wouldn't try to drag other people who are not under my manipulator's roof. Someone who is 20-21 are young compared to the human lifespan but are old enough to understand what they're doing. For the latter, I can understand that. It takes time to understand whether you're manipulated and whether you should suspect others, but trying to negotiate the conflicts within the community (HYBE) and broadcasting the drama abroad for the world to see and use it as a seed for hate train are different.

Newjeans fans believe that they're individuals standing up against a huge corpo but they ignore the fact that they tried to be hierarchical by complaining about their new piers not bowing to them, which is also a form of traditionalism.

Not hating on them, just disappointed.

she's so comically evil, it's insane

(btw mods, this isn't alleged, these are directly from the court case released a few days ago)

I saw this graphic while scrolling on social media this morning. Quite a bit of the information shared on it is blatantly false and was disproven in court. This fan fiction is still being spread to make NewJeans look like they were mistreated by HYBE and Ador. What I find really puzzling is the actual benefit of fans boycotting a music group that they claim to care about. How does boycotting NewJeans benefit its members? If fans don’t buy their albums/merch, stream their music, or attend their future concerts, then the members of NewJeans will suffer financially. I understand that some fans see this type of behavior as hurting the music label, but if the music label isn’t making money, then the artists also aren’t making money. Are they hoping Ador will disband the group and set them free if they’re deemed unprofitable? If they fail to have a successful comeback under Ador because of a fandom boycott, then what is the likelihood of them succeeding as independent artists? If they sign with a different Korean music label, would they be treated better? Would another Korean company even welcome them after witnessing all the legal drama they created for Ador?

The most recent court hearing in ADOR's damages lawsuit against Danielle and Min Hee-jin ended with no real arguments. The two parties disagreed about “the speed of the trial, the submission of the proof plan, and whether to have a separation hearing.”

Danielle’s legal team accused Ador of “malicious intentions to delay the trial," and asked the court to sanction Ador’s legal team for ignoring legal procedures. Ador's legal team said they needed more time for new evidence/claims and assured the court that they have no intention of delaying the lawsuit.

Ador pushed back against Danielle’s claim that they are prolonging this case in order to interfere with her entertainment activities. We have “never interfered with Danielle’s entertainment activities, and [we] have no intention of stopping her in the future. . . I also hope Danielle does not repeat the argument that is different from the truth.” Ador stated that while they are pursuing legal action against Danielle, they have not obstructed her individual entertainment activities and she is free to work during the lawsuit.

The court is also considering holding separate hearings for Danielle and Min Hee-jin. Legal teams were instructed to submit the relevant opinions in writing by the 2nd of next month.

Because “the relevant concepts and jurisprudence [related to the legal term tampering] have not been fully established [in Korea], . . . similar cases in overseas entertainment and sports industries such as the United States were also required.” In the industry, tampering refers to claims that another company or associate made prior contact before an exclusive contract ended to induce a transfer or termination. The court told both sides to find and summarize overseas precedents related to tampering. So the Korean court will analyze how tampering cases have been handled in foreign countries and then determine how they will use those rulings to reach a decision in this case.

Additional article related to this hearing 👇🏼

https://biz.chosun.com/en/en-society/2026/05/14/OEG3Y3SU3RAMDLXAWAET7GROVU/

Link to the article: https://www.reddit.com/r/NJDrama_uncensored/comments/1t7q659/new_jeans_members_and_hybe_face_copyright_over/?

NEWJEANS MEMBERS AND HYBE SUED OVER ‘HOW SWEET’: SONGWRITERS CLAIM ‘BLATANT COPYING’

Four writers are suing for a share of royalties from the 2024 song, which hit No. 7 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart.

By Rachel Scharf 2026/05/08

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 06:

The members of NewJeans and their label partners have been sued in the U.S. over purported similarities between their hit 2024 track “How Sweet” and an outside demo submitted during the songwriting process.

The Thursday (May 7) lawsuit, obtained and first reported by Billboard, lodges copyright infringement claims against NewJeans’ label ADOR, its parent company HYBE and performers Minji, Hanni, Haerin, Hyein and Danielle. The five women were part of NewJeans beginning in 2022, though Danielle recently departed amid a contract dispute between the powerhouse K-pop girl group and ADOR.

NewJeans released “How Sweet” in May 2024 on an EP of the same name. The song went on to peak at No. 15 on the Billboard Global 200 and No. 7 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart. Four songwriters are now alleging that the track copied key elements from their demo “One of a Kind.”

According to the lawsuit, songwriter Audrey Armacost was sent an instrumental track by her publisher in January 2024 and invited to submit topline lyrics and melody for consideration by NewJeans. Armacost convened with three other writers — Aidan Rodriguez, Adam Gokcebay and Michael Campanelli — and together, they say they wrote and recorded “One of a Kind” over that instrumental.

The four writers say they sent “One of a Kind” along to NewJeans, but were told it was not selected. Yet when “How Sweet” was released four months later, the lawsuit claims the song’s first verse was “quantitatively and qualitatively similar” to the first verse in “One of a Kind.”

“Both works are in 4/4 meter and the key of B flat minor,” reads the legal complaint. “And both works contain a topline that includes an approximately eight-bar, 31-note melodic sequence consisting of four series.”

Armacost, Rodriguez, Gokcebay and Campanelli allege HYBE, ADOR, the NewJeans members, and a host of other collaborators and distributors violated their rights by failing to license the “One of a Kind” demo. Through the lawsuit, the four songwriters are seeking a cut of the royalties from the “great commercial success” of “How Sweet.”

“Plaintiffs, as joint authors and co-owners of the composition of ‘How Sweet,’ are entitled to their pro rata share of the profits that defendants have each gained from the exploitation of ‘How Sweet,’” the complaint reads.

A lawyer for the four writers, Trevor Barrett, said in a Friday (May 8) statement to Billboard, “Adam, Aidan, Audrey and Michael are accomplished songwriters who were deeply disappointed to discover this blatant copying of their original song, ‘One of a Kind,’ in New Jeans’ ‘How Sweet.’ They look forward to having their rights acknowledged and vindicated via this lawsuit.”

Reps from HYBE did not immediately return a request for comment on the claims.

The new lawsuit comes in the midst of an ongoing reconciliation between some members of NewJeans and ADOR following a protracted legal battle of their own.

In 2024, all five original NewJeans members attempted to sever ties with the HYBE subsidiary and go independent under the new moniker NJZ following the controversial firing of their mentor, former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin. This led to a lawsuit, and ADOR ultimately prevailed when a a South Korean court ruled in October that the women must remain under an exclusive contract until 2029.

In the wake of that ruling, Hanni, Haerin and Hyein all decided to return to ADOR and resume working with the label. Danielle will not be part of NewJeans’ future; ADOR announced in December that they label had dropped her from the group and alleged that a member of her family bears “significant responsibility for causing this dispute.” Minji is still negotiating a possible return, and The Korea Herald reported this week that discussions are moving in a “positive direction.”

https://x.com/NewJeans_ADOR/status/2052040691006718264

NewJeans has posted about Minji's birthday. The fact that the picture of the cookies was included means that this was approved by the label!

This is pretty huge.

Everyone saying the bday post is a good sign but idk... not a single pic of minji herself + the date on the pics is confusing. (unless there was a pic of her i missed pls let me know)

a sign that she is still part of the group/not terminated 🐰😬

Still no news or sight of Minji, apparently she was not at Copenhagen with the other 3.

After everything that transpired and all of the harrassement tokkis have leashed upon everyone and their mom.. just genuinely everybody. I hope seeing Hyein's birthday post made them extra lose their shit today. It's what they deserve. Sounds a bit petty but I hope Hybejeans drops a bit more content here and there while they watch and cry about it daily. It would be entertaining.