Megathread 24: HYBE / ADOR / MHJ - Court rules in favor of ADOR, NewJeans' Contract remains Valid, further hearings for Source, Belift, and HYBE against Min Hee Jin to come, and More

This megathread is about the ongoing dispute within HYBE and the management of sub-label ADOR. Substantial news developments may be posted to the subreddit (outside of the Megathreads). Moderators will only approve posts that focus on statements by relevant parties, official representatives, or legal authorities. Unofficial commentary, fandom activities, speculation, or blind items will not be acceptable. Articles or translations should ideally be presented as neutrally as possible. Titles or content that are obviously sensationalized or intended to persuade readers to one perspective will be removed. English-speaking news outlets that have relatively more neutral reporting include Soompi, Yonhap News, and Korea JoongAng Daily. THIS POST MAY BE LOCKED OR UNLOCKED AT VARYING TIMES based on what the moderators are able to manage during their shifts. Please be patient with us while we work to balance keeping up with the queue and our own lives. DISCLAIMER ABOUT SOURCES: We prefer to focus on official statements from companies or other vetted sources. There will be widespread speculation and rumor-heavy articles, but until presented in an official capacity we consider them unsubstantiated. As Mods, all we can do is compile and summarize, but we are not investigators or journalists. Summary of Previous Megathreads ONE and TWO and THREE contains HYBE's audit of ADOR and Min Hee Jin's 1st press conference. FOUR summarized all events up to April 30th, 2024. FIVE and SIX contains potential ADOR embezzlement, MHJ's injunction and hearing, and a letter from the parents of NewJeans. SEVEN and EIGHT and NINE contains MHJ's injunction granted May 30th and remaining ADOR CEO, HYBE replacing ADOR board members, BELIFT LAB's video regarding plagiarism and lawsuit against MHJ. TEN and ELEVEN and TWELVE contains ex-ADOR employee's sexual harassment case, band Shakatak's plagiarism claim, HYBE 2.0 and ADOR restructuring with new CEO Kim Joo Young, MV director drama, the NewJeans livestream, MHJ's 2nd injunction filing and public events/interviews. THIRTEEN and FOURTEEN and FIFTEEN contains an interview with NewJeans' parents, Hanni and CEO Kim Joo Young at the National Assembly, MHJ's reappointment as director, Kim Taeho at the National Assembly, HYBE's Weekly Industry Report leak, the court's dismissal of MHJ's 2nd Injunction, ADOR board's vote against making MHJ's CEO again, NewJeans' certified letter of ultimatum to ADOR, rejection of Hanni's workplace bullying claim by labor ministry, MHJ's resignation from ADOR, and NewJeans' contract termination press conference. SIXTEEN and SEVENTEEN and EIGHTEEN contains ADOR's 26-page response to NewJeans' certified letter, Dispatch's exposé on MHJ's alleged strategy to leave HYBE, ADOR seeking validity of NewJeans member contracts, KMCA/KOSPO statements concerning tampering, the creation of the 'jeanzforfree' Instagram account, visa concerns, Employee B's MHJ defamation mediation failing, Davolink Chairman details, first hearings for Belift Lab and Source Music vs MHJ damages cases, dismissal of former ADOR VP's workplace harassment case against HYBE/ADOR, ADOR's injunction to halt NewJeans ad deals, and NewJeans rebranding to NJZ. NINETEEN and TWENTY and TWENTY ONE contain the new Instagram account of NewJeans' parents, workplace harassment accusations against HYBE/ADOR executives cleared, the granting of ADOR's provisional injunction against NewJeans independent activities along with group's appeal/objection, the shareholder agreement termination and exercising put/call options cases being run jointly, and the 1st contract validity hearing between ADOR/NewJeans. MEGATHREAD TWENTY TWO covered through May to mid-July. Contains: The granting of ADOR's 'indirect enforcement' request by the court, which would result in potential fines for NewJeans members if they pursue independent activities, procedural hearings for the ADOR/NewJeans contract validity case along with the Belift Lab/Source Music/HYBE cases against MHJ, and the rejection of NewJeans' appeal/objection to the injunction. MEGATHREAD TWENTY THREE covered mid-July to October. Contains: The finalized rejection of NewJeans' injunction appeal, the suspicion clearance for Min Hee Jin regarding occupational breach of trust accusations by HYBE and HYBE's appeal, the 3rd hearing for Belift Lab's damages case against MHJ around plagiarism, two sessions with failure of mediation between NewJeans and ADOR, the 3rd hearing for Source Music's damages case against MHJ and KakaoTalk messages confirmed to be allowed as evidence, and the fine against MHJ upheld in Employee B's case against her for workplace bullying. Articles / Timeline 251030 Regarding ADOR's contract validity case with NewJeans, the court ruled in favor of ADOR. Their contract with NewJeans remains valid. (Sources: Yonhap News pt.1, pt.2, Star News) The Korea Herald: 'Ador’s dismissal of former CEO Min Hee-jin not a breach of contract,’ court rules actively updating! Looking Ahead: October 31: Next hearing for Belift Lab vs. MHJ November 7: Next hearing for Source Music vs. MHJ (w/KakaoTalk messages adopted into evidence) November 27: Next hearing for HYBE vs. MHJ (Additional questioning for MHJ) December 18: HYBE vs. MHJ (Last chance for statements/evidence) Ongoing Legal Complaints/Investigations: HYBE's report to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) regarding potential insider trading by ADOR management (Korea JoongAng) HYBE's complaint against Min Hee Jin for 'breach of trust' (Yonhap) Belift Lab's complaint against Min Hee Jin for defamation (Soompi) and additionally for business interference (The Korea Herald) SOURCE MUSIC's lawsuit against Min Hee Jin for damages in regards to the disruption of business/defamation of LE SSERAFIM (Korea JoongAng) and additionally regarding alleged false claims by MHJ for the launch strategy of N Team/NewJeans (Soompi) British band Shakatak's plagiarism claim against NewJeans' 'Bubble Gum' (Yonhap) Min Hee Jin and HYBE executives filed reports against each other back-to-back (Soompi and Korea JoongAng) MV Director Shin Woo Seok filed a lawsuit against ADOR CEO Kim Joo Young and ADOR VP Lee Do Kyung for defamation. (Korea JoongAng) MHJ's lawsuits against Belift Lab's Kim Tae Ho for defamation (Yonhap), HYBE CCO Park Tae Hee and PR Director Cho for breach of duty (Yonhap), and HYBE executives and Dispatch reporters for defamation. (Soompi) (One or both of these might be re-statements of earlier suits.) ADOR's lawsuit to determine validity of their contracts with NewJeans (Soompi) Link back to MEGATHREADS 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 GROUND RULES IN COMMENTS If you have come to this subreddit to discuss anything, you are choosing to participate in a moderated space with rules of conduct enforced by human beings. All users are subject to the discretion of moderators to manage this space even if it's in ways you don't agree with. Do not Insult users, fans, or artists. Don't denigrate a certain demographic of people (age, gender, nationality, etc). NO harassing, threatening, or wishing harm on anyone. 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