Editing Frankie Goes to Hollywood (section)

=== 1987–1988: disbandment and lawsuit ===
During the ''Liverpool'' tour, the relationship between Johnson and the band deteriorated.<ref name="Aston-1994">{{Cite journal |last=Aston |first=Martin |date=October 1992 |title=Where are they now? |url=https://www.zttaat.com/article.php?title=116 |journal=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]}}</ref> Before a concert at [[Wembley Arena]] in January, a fight broke out backstage between Johnson and O'Toole.<ref name="Horn-2022">{{cite book |last1=Horn |first1=Trevor |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zUd_EAAAQBAJ |title=Adventures in Modern Recording: From ABC to ZTT |date=13 October 2022 |publisher=[[Bonnier Group|Nine Eight Books]] |isbn=9781788706032 |edition=first |quote=It was a stupid decision—stupid because it was enormously costly and took two years to resolve, and stupid because history shows that, in nine out of ten cases, the artist wins, something that MCA, Holly's new label, must have appreciated because they funded his court case to the tune of £150,000. |author-link=Trevor Horn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Taylor |first=Phil |date=3 January 2014 |title=Frankie goes to Waiheke |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/frankie-goes-to-waiheke/BIIMIPSJBZDWAFU4SI43LFN5IQ/ |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |language=en-NZ}}</ref> Johnson said that ZTT had encouraged the rift as a means of [[divide and rule]],<ref name="Bradley-1988" /> and that Horn had once suggested Johnson and Rutherford fire the other members and work as a duo.<ref name="Bradley-1988" /> Sinclair instead blamed Johnson's manager and boyfriend, Kuhle, who she said was a negative influence and had triggered resentment in the band.<ref name="Bradley-1988" /><ref name="Shaw-1988">{{Cite journal |last=Shaw |first=William |date=August 1988 |title=Frankie says see you in court |url=https://www.zttaat.com/article.php?title=561#page5 |journal=[[Blitz (British magazine)|Blitz]]}}</ref> Nash recalled: "During the last tour, everybody knew it would end, as the relationship between Holly and the rest of us was so strained. He didn't want to be in a band situation anymore. Everybody was fed up with the whole thing."<ref name="Aston-1994" /> Their last concert was on 1 March 1987, at [[Rotterdam Ahoy]] in the Netherlands.<ref name="Ward-1990" />

On 23 July, Johnson told ZTT that he planned to leave and sign to [[MCA Records]]. ZTT filed an [[injunction]] to prevent this, as their record contract specified that any member who left would remain contracted to ZTT.<ref name="Shaw-1988" /> In court, ZTT argued that the success of Frankie Goes to Hollywood was a result of ZTT's production and marketing and that Johnson had been disruptive and uncooperative. Johnson's team argued that ZTT had been financially irresponsible when recording ''Liverpool'', and that their contract constituted an unreasonable [[restraint of trade]].<ref name="Shaw-1988" /> In 1988, the [[High Court of Justice|High Court]] found in Johnson's favour and the band members were released from their contract.<ref name="Bradley-1988" /> Horn later wrote that his decision to pursue the lawsuit had been "stupid".<ref name="Horn-2022" />

Soon after the breakup, Nash, O'Toole and Gill attempted to re-form Frankie Goes to Hollywood with a new singer, Grant Boult.<ref name="Aston-1994" /> According to Nash, they recorded songs in a deal with [[London Records]].<ref name="Nasher"/> Johnson blocked the project, saying it would devalue their achievements.<ref name="Aston-1994" />