Australian-South Korean singer Danielle June Marsh is no longer part of the K-pop girl group NewJeans after she was dropped by ADOR, a sub-label of HYBE, on December 29. The decision to terminate her exclusive contract comes after a year-long battle of the band with its recording label/ management company.“In Danielle’s case, we determined it would be difficult for her to continue as a NewJeans member and Ador artist," ADOR said in a statement on Monday.The release, obtained by CNA Lifestyle, also added that former ADOR CEO Min Heejin and one of Danielle’s family members bear “significant responsibility” for the “dispute” and “delaying her return” to the group. The label also plans to hold them “legally accountable” in the near future.What had happened was that in November 2024, all five members of NewJeans, including Danielle, unanimously ended their contracts with ADOR, citing workplace harassment, mistreatment, an alleged attempt to “undermine our careers,” and protesting against the firing of their former boss, Min Heejin.However, the members got into legal trouble when they continued to perform independently, in response to which ADOR filed an injunction with a South Korean court.Later, they were asked to halt the activities and pay fines to the label for contract violations. While the other four members, including Hanni, Minji, Haerin, and Hyein, reportedly came to a midpoint and would reportedly continue to be part of NewJeans, Danielle has been let go.Exploring further the dispute between NewJeans and ADORIn August 2024, ADOR announced that Min Heejin would resign as the CEO. The following month, NewJeans members demanded that she be reinstated during a viral livestream. They also reportedly sent a two-week notice to the label, citing that if Heejin wasn’t brought back as the CEO by November 27, all of them would end their contracts with ADOR.In subsequent weeks, Min Heejin was appointed as an internal director but was not made the CEO. However, she announced her decision to quit the label altogether and sell her company shares to ADOR.In the wake of the ensuing drama, NewJeans announced via an emergency press conference on November 28, 2024, that they were ending their exclusive contracts.“The reason we are leaving ADOR is very simple, and I think the reporters here who know our situation are also all very aware. NewJeans is an artist of ADOR, and ADOR is obligated to protect NewJeans. It is the most basic obligation that an agency has," the band said at the time.They continued:“ADOR does not have the will or ability to protect NewJeans. If we remain here, it will be a waste of our time, and our mental distress will continue. More than anything, there is nothing that we can gain in terms of our work, so the five of us think that there is no reason at all for us to remain at ADOR.”The five members also promised to finish the “contracted activities” as per schedule, including shows and commercials, adding they believe they hadn’t violated their individual contracts, nor did they owe any fines for their early contract termination, which was set to finish its 7-year term in 2029.“The current ADOR and HYBE violated the contracts, leading to this current situation, so we believe the current ADOR and HYBE are the ones who are responsible,” NewJeans claimed back then.Danielle also mentioned that while they were aware that they wouldn’t be able to continue using NewJeans as the band’s name, they were not giving up on their music or fans and would “continue to fight.”“Regardless of our name, just remember that NewJeans never dies,” Marsh said.On November 29 of last year, NewJeans doubled down on their announcement, claiming that they left ADOR due to “breach of contractual obligations” and “failure to rectify the issues within the rectification period.” The quinter also stated that their exclusive contracts were now “null and void” and they should be able to operate independently.However, ADOR didn’t accept NewJeans’ move. Their statement via the BBC claimed:“A unilateral claim that trust has been broken does not constitute valid grounds for termination of a contract. We regret that the press conference on the termination of the contract took place without sufficient consideration, and even before we gave our response to the demand letter.”ADOR added:“The exclusive contracts between ADOR and the NewJeans members remain valid. Therefore, we expect them to continue their scheduled activities ahead together with ADOR as they have until now.”On December 3, 2024, the recording label filed a lawsuit against NewJeans with the Seoul Central District Court to “confirm the validity of the exclusive contract” and “ensure its continued legal enforcement.”“The decision was made to protect the trust-based relationships that have driven the growth of the K-pop industry and to preserve the very foundation of the country’s pop culture. We aim to have this clearly established in court,” the press release following the legal filing stated.NJZ Announce Termination Of Contract With ADOR Agency - Source: GettyCalling the contract termination a “misunderstanding,” ADOR added that they wished to have a “candid dialogue with the artists” and would seek an “opportunity for direct communication.”However, NewJeans responded with a dismissal, claiming they had “no reason” to continue working for/ with ADOR.“Forcing us to work for another five years despite this breakdown in trust and contract violations is not only unreasonable but also inhumane,” the quintet stated.Later, in January this year, ADOR filed an injunction against the NewJeans members to “prevent confusion and potential harm to third parties, including advertisers.”“Allowing unilateral terminations of exclusive contracts and independent activities without legal procedures could undermine investment in the entertainment industry and destabilize the K-pop sector,” the injunction reviewed by the BBC read.The following month, Danielle, Minji, Hanni, Haerin, and Hyein announced that they had renamed NewJeans as NJZ and that they would resume their performance at the ComplexCon Hong Kong in March. They also created separate social media pages for their rebranded group.ADOR responded with a statement to CNN:“We worry that announcing an unauthorized new group name or engaging in entertainment activities before a legal judgment is reached… could constitute a material breach of the exclusive agency contract.”In March, NJZ performed at ComplexCon and even debuted their new song Pit Stop during the festival. However, when the court ruled in favor of ADOR’s injunction, they announced their decision to take a break at the end of their Hong Kong show.“We’ve known from the start that this journey wasn’t going to be easy and even though we accept the court’s ruling and this whole process, we had to speak up to protect the values that we believe in, and that was a choice that we don’t regret at all… At the moment, for us, it’s about protecting ourselves so that we can come back even stronger,” Danielle and Hanni stated.That same month, the court also ruled that ADOR was the “exclusive management agency” of NewJeans, meaning they couldn’t pursue making/ releasing new music independently or sign advertisement contracts with third parties without the label’s approval.Meanwhile, NJZ rejected/ challenged the court’s ruling. Additionally, over 30,000 of their loyal fanbase signed an online petition against the injunction.While the lawsuit went to the courtroom in April, it wasn’t until October 30 that the judge made a decision. As reported by the Korea Herald, the court found “insufficient grounds to support the group’s key claims for terminating the contract” and that NewJeans was to remain with ADOR until 2029.While the company hailed the court’s ruling, the quintet appealed against it in the hope of a “fair conclusion.” Their legal team also mentioned that given their trust in ADOR was “completely destroyed,” it made no sense to return/ resume “normal entertainment activities” under their management.Last month, reports emerged that all five members were in internal talks with ADOR about their respective and the group’s futures. On November 12, Haerin and Hyein decided to make a comeback after in-depth discussions with their families and ADOR officials.A press release obtained by Teen Vogue revealed that the duo was“committed to providing its full support to ensure the seamless continuation of their artistic endeavours.”Minji was said to be in a discussion to “broaden mutual understanding” and was hopeful to stay with the label.However, in the case of Danielle, it appears that both parties were unable to reach a resolution and continue working together. As a result, her termination was recently announced by ADOR.It remains unclear when and where the all-female K-pop group would reunite and whether the lineup would have any new members.