diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/xattr.c b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/xattr.c
index e835c8ef1bb7329433fbd5cc82a29d8a83f28550..1a597a640b6c602a4505d716486cf2d7a29434ef 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/xattr.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/xattr.c
@@ -94,7 +94,11 @@ static int ll_xattr_set_common(const struct xattr_handler *handler,
 	u64 valid;
 	int rc;
 
-	if (flags == XATTR_REPLACE) {
+	/* When setxattr() is called with a size of 0 the value is
+	 * unconditionally replaced by "". When removexattr() is
+	 * called we get a NULL value and XATTR_REPLACE for flags.
+	 */
+	if (!value && flags == XATTR_REPLACE) {
 		ll_stats_ops_tally(ll_i2sbi(inode), LPROC_LL_REMOVEXATTR, 1);
 		valid = OBD_MD_FLXATTRRM;
 	} else {