diff --git a/fs/ocfs2/namei.c b/fs/ocfs2/namei.c
index 99278c8f0e24..f75fd19974bc 100644
--- a/fs/ocfs2/namei.c
+++ b/fs/ocfs2/namei.c
@@ -142,6 +142,8 @@ static struct dentry *ocfs2_lookup(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry,
 
 bail_add:
 	ret = d_splice_alias(inode, dentry);
+	if (IS_ERR(ret))
+		goto bail_unlock;
 
 	if (inode) {
 		/*
@@ -154,13 +156,12 @@ static struct dentry *ocfs2_lookup(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry,
 		 * NOTE: This dentry already has ->d_op set from
 		 * ocfs2_get_parent() and ocfs2_get_dentry()
 		 */
-		if (!IS_ERR_OR_NULL(ret))
-			dentry = ret;
-
-		status = ocfs2_dentry_attach_lock(dentry, inode,
+		status = ocfs2_dentry_attach_lock(ret ? ret : dentry, inode,
 						  OCFS2_I(dir)->ip_blkno);
 		if (status) {
 			mlog_errno(status);
+			if (ret)
+				dput(ret);
 			ret = ERR_PTR(status);
 			goto bail_unlock;
 		}