Hanni's "Ignore her" claim dismissed by court in NewJeans contract case

In the ongoing exclusive contract dispute between girl group NewJeans and ADOR, the court has rejected member Hanni’s claim that she suffered a violation of her personal rights due to being told to “ignore” her by an ILLIT manager.

On October 30, the Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Division 41 (Chief Judge Jung Hoi Il) ruled in favor of ADOR in the lawsuit it filed to confirm the validity of NewJeans’ exclusive contract. During the hearing, the court largely dismissed NewJeans’ main arguments.

The court stated, “Based on the evidence presented, there is insufficient proof that Hanni was subjected to remarks such as ‘ignore her’ from an ILLIT manager that would amount to an infringement of her personal rights.” The ruling continued, “ADOR immediately requested that HYBE check related CCTV footage following the complaint. HYBE’s security policy and business security teams retrieved the footage and continued searching for additional clips featuring Hanni and the ILLIT members at ADOR’s request. However, as the CCTV had no audio recording, even if the scene was captured, it is unlikely the manager’s remarks would have been recorded. Considering these facts, it can be viewed that the plaintiff (ADOR) took sufficient steps to verify Hanni’s claims.”

In October 2024, Hanni appeared before the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee as a witness, where she spoke about alleged workplace bullying in the idol industry. She testified, “There’s a floor in the company building where we get our hair and makeup done. I finished early and was waiting in the hallway when staff members from another label passed by. They used to greet me before, but this time they didn’t. Five or ten minutes later, they came out again, and as they passed, a manager told their members, ‘Pretend you didn’t see her and ignore her.’” Hanni continued, “I couldn’t understand why this was happening to me or how someone like that could work there. And it wasn’t just once or twice.”

Later, Hanni posted on social media, writing, “I remember everything exactly. I wanted to say it in court earlier, but I held back.”

ADOR responded, saying, “Even Hanni admitted that three ILLIT members greeted her. She said, ‘No one said 'ignore her.' I don’t remember clearly, but I think someone said to just act like you didn’t notice and keep walking.’ Then Min Hee Jin exaggerated the issue by saying, ‘Ignore her? So everyone ignored you?’ and turned it into a bigger incident. When asked whether the manager instructed others not to greet her, Hanni said she wasn’t sure.” ADOR claimed that Min Hee Jin created a false narrative and that even Hanni herself did not consider it a serious issue.

During one court session, Hanni reportedly watched the CCTV footage and reviewed related chat logs, appearing deep in thought before letting out a small laugh and glancing at fellow member Danielle with a smile.

Both sides engaged in intense legal arguments over the broader conflict between them.

ADOR emphasized, “We invested 21 billion KRW to fully support NewJeans — 7 billion KRW (4.9 million USD) for their debut album alone and 2 billion KRW (1.4 million USD) for music videos, with HYBE providing additional support. Thanks to that, NewJeans achieved explosive success. However, their unilateral termination of the contract violates the exclusive agreement, which the court cannot accept. Changes in attitude toward exclusive management or tampering by Min Hee Jin cannot justify breaking the contract. She has been attempting to ‘take’ NewJeans for three years.”

ADOR also presented PowerPoint slides with KakaoTalk messages as evidence of Min Hee Jin’s alleged attempts to poach the group, but added, “ADOR’s trust in NewJeans is not broken,” expressing hope that the group would return.

NewJeans countered, “The audit and dismissal attempt against Min Hee Jin were based on false premises — it was an effort to oust her. HYBE’s employees now control ADOR, and we can no longer trust the company. When Min Hee Jin raised issues, HYBE launched a retaliatory audit with a predetermined conclusion.” The group added, “How can we return to an agency that treats its artists like liars instead of protecting them?” while hinting at a conditional return only if Min Hee Jin were reinstated.

However, prospects for reconciliation have all but disappeared. Just before mediation collapsed, ADOR appointed former HYBE deputy CEO Lee Do Kyung as its new internal director, while Min Hee Jin established her new independent company, OOAK (One of a Kind), and completed its registration.

In March, all five NewJeans members attended a court hearing for an injunction ADOR filed to maintain its agency status and block NewJeans from signing new endorsement deals. However, the members did not attend the first or second hearings for the exclusive contract validity case.