NewJeans and ADOR couldn’t reach a deal during their second court mediation on September 11, 2025, at 1:30 pm. The case involves ADOR, which filed a legal claim against all five members of NewJeans. At issue is whether their exclusive contracts are legally valid. The group’s contract dispute continues, with the first trial verdict now scheduled for October 30 at 9:50 am KST.The mediation happened at Seoul Central District Court, Civil Division 41, under Presiding Judge Jeong Hoe-il. The follow-up session ran about twenty minutes behind closed doors. Kpop Charts @kchartsmasterLINKThe second mediation round between NewJeans and ADOR has broken down. As the two mediation sessions failed, the court will pronounce a verdict on the validity of the exclusive contract on October 30th.The second mediation lasted about 20 minutes. Only lawyers from the two parties attended.Last month, Minji and Danielle joined the first mediation on August 14th. The court had suggested that those with real decision-making power participate. Initially, on June 5th, the members had rejected any settlement, stating (Korea JoongAng Daily reports), “Trust has been irrevocably broken — we’ve crossed a point of no return. I’ll need to discuss it with my clients, but a settlement is unlikely.”However, on the first mediation, they did show willingness to negotiate (per Chosun). The K-pop act asked to “return ADOR to its state before the audit on former representative Min Hee-jin." Outside, neither of the idols spoke to reporters, and no updates were shared. As of now, with no agreement in the second mediation, attention turns to the October 30 ruling. The decision will determine if NewJeans can continue independently or if they’ll face a pause under ADOR. This verdict will shape the group’s next steps and their career in K-pop.NewJeans remain on hiatus amid legal dispute with ADORNewJeans has stayed paused since March 2025 after a court backed their label, ADOR, in a legal clash. The Seoul Central District Court put a temporary block on the five members, stopping them from chasing solo or side projects. The judges said the members didn’t give enough proof that ADOR seriously broke trust, so the exclusive contract stands. "Based on the claims and materials submitted by Kim Min-ji, (whose stage name is Minji), and others, it is not sufficiently proven that Ador violated its important obligations under the exclusive contract," the court asserted (via The Korea Times).After the ruling, NewJeans announced a pause during their March 23, 2025, show at ComplexCon in Hong Kong, saying they’d stop all work to respect the court and protect themselves. They haven’t returned to public activities since."We have decided to stop all activities for the time being in accordance with the court ruling. It wasn't an easy decision but a necessary one," NewJeans declared (per Yonhap News).Later, the members tried to fight it in appeal, but on June 17, 2025, the Seoul High Court turned it down, confirming the first decision. The court said the group’s choices caused their own problems by ignoring a valid contract. This blocks the quintet from working alone or using the group name without ADOR’s approval. Any activity without approval carries a 1 billion won penalty.It has been more than a year since NewJeans' dispute with ADOR began. The conflict started around August 2024, when rumors surfaced about the removal of their mentor and former ADOR chief, Min Hee-jin.