The members of 'N Sync -- who recently announced that they have jumped from RCA Records to Jive Records -- are the targets of a $150 million lawsuit filed by RCA parent company BMG Entertainment, the group's mentor Louis J. Pearlman, and Pearlman's Trans Continental Records.

The suit -- which also targets Jive and its parent Zomba Recording -- was filed Tuesday (10/12) in federal court in Orlando. The plaintiffs claim that 'N Sync is still contractually obligated to them. Besides seeking $100 million in compensatory damages and $50 million in punitive damages, the suit asks the court to issue an injunction preventing 'N Sync, Jive and Zomba from using the 'N Sync name or releasing any recordings. It also seeks the return of the master tapes of the group's unreleased second album.

''This is a scorched-earth policy,'' J. Cheney Mason, Trans Continental's co-lead trial counsel, told the Orlando Sentinel. ''We're going to shut them down. We believe there will be no tours, no performances, no rehearsal or recordings'' other than those benefiting Trans Continental until contract disputes are resolved. According to Billboard, BMG Germany signed a deal with Trans Continental to distribute 'N Sync worldwide. But 'N Sync's representatives claim the deal is not enforceable because the group never an signed an acknowledgement of the agreement.

RCA originally planned to release a follow-up to 'N Sync's wildly successful debut album late this year, but the projected release date -- whether on Jive, RCA or elsewhere -- has since been pushed back to 2000.

Meanwhile, rival boy group the Backstreet Boys [ tickets ] -- who, like 'N Sync, were first managed by Pearlman -- are trying to leave Jive. According to Billboard, attorneys representing the Backstreets sent a letter to Jive earlier this month claiming the group's contract with the label is void. The Backstreet Boys -- who reportedly have long considered 'N Sync to be a pale imitation of themselves -- are said to be unhappy about the prospect of 'N Sync joining their label, but also claim that there are other reasons for the split.

''They're tired of being exploited,'' an unnamed source close to the Backstreet Boys reportedly told Billboard. ''Their unhappiness [with the label] is rooted in their feeling of betrayal and deceit.''

Lawsuits are almost sure to be filed, since Jive holds that the Backstreet Boys are signed to a long-term, exclusive recording agreement.

Last year, the Backstreet Boys broke from Pearlman, who is credited with much of the group's early development. In an out-of-court settlement, Pearlman reportedly received an equal partnership with members of the group.

Both 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys have sold seven millions copies of their latest albums in the U.S.