[Star News Reporter Yoon Sang-geun]
Blockberry Creative (Blockberry), the former agency of Chuu (Kim Jiwoo, 24) from girl group LOONA, has again objected to their loss in the exclusive contract lawsuit and appealed, dragging the case up to the Supreme Court.
On the 8th of this month, the Seoul High Court’s 7th Civil Suits Division, ruled in favor of the plaintiff (Chuu) in the appellate decision of the case to affirm the nonexistence of exclusive contract effect that Chuu had filed against Blockberry. Earlier, the Seoul Northern District Court’s 12th Civil Suits Division had also ruled in favor of the plaintiff in their initial August 2023 decision.
It has been confirmed that Blockberry, which had appealed in objection to the original decision, is also objecting to the appellate decision and submitted an appeal on the 22nd.
After debuting in the music industry as a LOONA member in December 2017, Chuu became a standout in variety, advertisement and other fields, increasing the share of her solo activities within the team. But after conflicts with Blockberry due to issues such as profit sharing, she caused waves in December 2021 when she filed a lawsuit. Afterwards, in February 2022, the court allowed a partial granting of the injunction she had requested alongside the main lawsuit, and even in the main case, both the initial and appellate decisions ruled in favor of Chuu. Nevertheless, Blockberry has shown that it will continue the legal battle through appeals.
Apart from this Chuu lawsuit, Blockberry has also said that it “plans to appeal” after losing its suit against five other LOONA members, and is also preparing for the main lawsuit related to their exclusive contract effect, engaging in a lengthy battle.
[T/N: The rest of the article provides a recap and background information on the lawsuit, and is omitted from this translation.]