Yes. If you have at any time hit command/control-S on these files or have automatic writing of metadata to xmp turned on, it will write the xmp metadata in the actual files itself either inside the file metadata for dng, jpeg, tiff, etc. or in a sidecar xmp file (non-dng raw files). When you then import from that same location, the develop metadata gets read from the files and applied. This automatic writing of the metadata also takes place if you convert to dng. It will write the default settings you applied at the time into thedng file metadata. My guess is, since you are converting to dng upon original import, that is what happened. Importing from these dng files will keep applying those settings it had originally and overwriting the raw defaults you set in the application.
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