diff --git a/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/dao/DaoTestBase.java b/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/dao/DaoTestBase.java
index 8e32b02..c79bd0a 100644
--- a/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/dao/DaoTestBase.java
+++ b/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/dao/DaoTestBase.java
@@ -39,9 +39,6 @@
                 GroupMemberStatus.ACTIVE);
         userGroupService.addGroupMember("marlin", group, "dory",
                 GroupMemberStatus.PENDING);
-        userGroupService.addGroupMember("pearl", group, "dory",
-                GroupMemberStatus.DELETED);
-
         return group;
     }
     
diff --git a/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/dao/UserGroupDaoTest.java b/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/dao/UserGroupDaoTest.java
index 067ee6a..f747a89 100644
--- a/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/dao/UserGroupDaoTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/dao/UserGroupDaoTest.java
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
         // dory group
         List<UserGroupMember> members = userGroupDao
                 .retrieveGroupById(group.getId(), true).getMembers();
-        assertEquals(4, members.size());
+        assertEquals(3, members.size());
 
         UserGroupMember m = members.get(1);
         Set<Role> roles = m.getRoles();
diff --git a/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/web/controller/usergroup/UserGroupControllerTest.java b/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/web/controller/usergroup/UserGroupControllerTest.java
index 4806241..8562fd3 100644
--- a/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/web/controller/usergroup/UserGroupControllerTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/web/controller/usergroup/UserGroupControllerTest.java
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 import jakarta.ws.rs.ProcessingException;
 import jakarta.ws.rs.client.Entity;
 import jakarta.ws.rs.core.Form;
-import jakarta.ws.rs.core.MediaType;
 import jakarta.ws.rs.core.Response;
 import jakarta.ws.rs.core.Response.Status;
 
@@ -27,9 +26,6 @@
 
     private String username = "UserGroupControllerTest";
 
-    private String admin = "admin";
-
-    
     @Test
     public void testCreateGroupEmptyDescription ()
             throws ProcessingException, KustvaktException {
@@ -196,11 +192,11 @@
         String entity = response.readEntity(String.class);
         JsonNode node = JsonUtils.readTree(entity);
         assertEquals(Status.BAD_REQUEST.getStatusCode(), response.getStatus());
-        assertEquals(StatusCodes.GROUP_MEMBER_DELETED,
+        assertEquals(StatusCodes.GROUP_MEMBER_NOT_FOUND,
                 node.at("/errors/0/0").asInt());
-        assertEquals(node.at("/errors/0/1").asText(),
-                "pearl has already been deleted from the group dory-group");
-        assertEquals(node.at("/errors/0/2").asText(), "[pearl, dory-group]");
+        assertEquals("pearl is not found in the group",
+                node.at("/errors/0/1").asText());
+        assertEquals("pearl",node.at("/errors/0/2").asText());
         
         deleteGroupByName(doryGroupName, "dory");
     }
@@ -208,30 +204,8 @@
     private void testDeleteGroup (String groupName, String username)
             throws ProcessingException, KustvaktException {
         deleteGroupByName(groupName, username);
-        Form f = new Form();
-        f.param("username", username);
-        f.param("status", "DELETED");
-        // EM: this is so complicated because the group retrieval are not allowed
-        // for delete groups
-        // check group
-        Response response = target().path(API_VERSION).path("admin").path("group")
-                .path("list").request()
-                .header(Attributes.AUTHORIZATION, HttpAuthorizationHandler
-                        .createBasicAuthorizationHeaderValue(admin, "pass"))
-                .header(HttpHeaders.CONTENT_TYPE,
-                        MediaType.APPLICATION_FORM_URLENCODED)
-                .post(Entity.form(f));
-        assertEquals(Status.OK.getStatusCode(), response.getStatus());
-        String entity = response.readEntity(String.class);
-        JsonNode node = JsonUtils.readTree(entity);
-        for (int j = 0; j < node.size(); j++) {
-            JsonNode group = node.get(j);
-            // check group members
-            for (int i = 0; i < group.at("/0/members").size(); i++) {
-                assertEquals(GroupMemberStatus.DELETED.name(),
-                        group.at("/0/members/" + i + "/status").asText());
-            }
-        }
+        JsonNode node = listUserGroups(username);
+        assertEquals(0, node.size());
     }
 
     @Test
diff --git a/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/web/controller/usergroup/UserGroupListTest.java b/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/web/controller/usergroup/UserGroupListTest.java
index 3344bf9..ac03ff5 100644
--- a/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/web/controller/usergroup/UserGroupListTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/web/controller/usergroup/UserGroupListTest.java
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
         assertEquals(node.at("/0/owner").asText(), "dory");
         // group members are not allowed to see other members
         assertTrue(node.at("/0/members").isMissingNode());
-        System.out.println(node.toPrettyString());
+//        System.out.println(node.toPrettyString());
     }
     
     // marlin has 2 groups
diff --git a/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/web/controller/usergroup/UserGroupSubscriptionTest.java b/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/web/controller/usergroup/UserGroupSubscriptionTest.java
index 5ffd446..8c12e55 100644
--- a/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/web/controller/usergroup/UserGroupSubscriptionTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/web/controller/usergroup/UserGroupSubscriptionTest.java
@@ -32,8 +32,8 @@
         JsonNode node = JsonUtils.readTree(entity);
         assertEquals(StatusCodes.GROUP_MEMBER_NOT_FOUND,
                 node.at("/errors/0/0").asInt());
-        assertEquals(node.at("/errors/0/1").asText(),
-                "bruce is not found in the group");
+        assertEquals("bruce is not found in the group",
+                node.at("/errors/0/1").asText());
         
         testSubscribeDeletedMember();
         deleteGroupByName(doryGroupName, "dory");
@@ -50,10 +50,8 @@
 
         String entity = response.readEntity(String.class);
         JsonNode node = JsonUtils.readTree(entity);
-        assertEquals(StatusCodes.GROUP_MEMBER_DELETED,
+        assertEquals(StatusCodes.GROUP_MEMBER_NOT_FOUND,
                 node.at("/errors/0/0").asInt());
-        assertEquals(node.at("/errors/0/1").asText(),
-                "pearl has already been deleted from the group dory-group");
         
         testUnsubscribeDeletedMember();
         testInviteDeletedMember("pearl", "dory");
@@ -143,8 +141,8 @@
         assertEquals(Status.NOT_FOUND.getStatusCode(), response.getStatus());
         assertEquals(StatusCodes.NO_RESOURCE_FOUND,
                 node.at("/errors/0/0").asInt());
-        assertEquals(node.at("/errors/0/1").asText(),
-                "Group non-existent is not found");
+        assertEquals("Group non-existent is not found",
+                node.at("/errors/0/1").asText());
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -210,11 +208,8 @@
         String entity = response.readEntity(String.class);
         JsonNode node = JsonUtils.readTree(entity);
         assertEquals(Status.BAD_REQUEST.getStatusCode(), response.getStatus());
-        assertEquals(StatusCodes.GROUP_MEMBER_DELETED,
+        assertEquals(StatusCodes.GROUP_MEMBER_NOT_FOUND,
                 node.at("/errors/0/0").asInt());
-        assertEquals(node.at("/errors/0/1").asText(),
-                "pearl has already been deleted from the group dory-group");
-        assertEquals(node.at("/errors/0/2").asText(), "[pearl, dory-group]");
     }
 
 
@@ -243,8 +238,8 @@
         JsonNode node = JsonUtils.readTree(entity);
         assertEquals(StatusCodes.GROUP_MEMBER_NOT_FOUND,
                 node.at("/errors/0/0").asInt());
-        assertEquals(node.at("/errors/0/1").asText(),
-                "bruce is not found in the group");
+        assertEquals("bruce is not found in the group", 
+                node.at("/errors/0/1").asText());
         deleteGroupByName(doryGroupName, "dory");
     }
 
@@ -261,8 +256,8 @@
         JsonNode node = JsonUtils.readTree(entity);
         assertEquals(StatusCodes.NO_RESOURCE_FOUND,
                 node.at("/errors/0/0").asInt());
-        assertEquals(node.at("/errors/0/1").asText(),
-                "Group tralala-group is not found");
+        assertEquals("Group tralala-group is not found",
+                node.at("/errors/0/1").asText());
     }
 
 }