diff --git a/indra/newview/lldrawable.cpp b/indra/newview/lldrawable.cpp
index 108ec92f6db6e155ced8338dcc1164f62a2ad70e..0722e66571ae371c34e4b9af897dab1e2110f16a 100644
--- a/indra/newview/lldrawable.cpp
+++ b/indra/newview/lldrawable.cpp
@@ -945,6 +945,12 @@ void LLDrawable::updateUVMinMax()
 
 void LLDrawable::setSpatialGroup(LLSpatialGroup *groupp)
 {
+	//precondition: mSpatialGroupp MUST be null or DEAD or mSpatialGroupp MUST NOT contain this
+	llassert(!mSpatialGroupp || mSpatialGroupp->isDead() || !mSpatialGroupp->hasElement(this));
+
+	//precondition: groupp MUST be null or groupp MUST contain this
+	llassert(!groupp || groupp->hasElement(this));
+
 /*if (mSpatialGroupp && (groupp != mSpatialGroupp))
 	{
 		mSpatialGroupp->setState(LLSpatialGroup::GEOM_DIRTY);
@@ -1468,6 +1474,10 @@ void LLSpatialBridge::cleanupReferences()
 	LLDrawable::cleanupReferences();
 	if (mDrawable)
 	{
+		/*
+		
+		DON'T DO THIS -- this should happen through octree destruction
+
 		mDrawable->setSpatialGroup(NULL);
 		if (mDrawable->getVObj())
 		{
@@ -1482,7 +1492,7 @@ void LLSpatialBridge::cleanupReferences()
 					drawable->setSpatialGroup(NULL);
 				}
 			}
-		}
+		}*/
 
 		LLDrawable* drawablep = mDrawable;
 		mDrawable = NULL;
diff --git a/indra/newview/llspatialpartition.cpp b/indra/newview/llspatialpartition.cpp
index 45ef8f1a6dc9e9c42c04a489fe216b4618f83c6b..9a6cb78333e26497c83e70484fef4ac01e137ffe 100644
--- a/indra/newview/llspatialpartition.cpp
+++ b/indra/newview/llspatialpartition.cpp
@@ -1841,13 +1841,13 @@ BOOL LLSpatialPartition::remove(LLDrawable *drawablep, LLSpatialGroup *curp)
 {
 	LLMemType mt(LLMemType::MTYPE_SPACE_PARTITION);
 	
-	drawablep->setSpatialGroup(NULL);
-
 	if (!curp->removeObject(drawablep))
 	{
 		OCT_ERRS << "Failed to remove drawable from octree!" << llendl;
 	}
 
+	drawablep->setSpatialGroup(NULL);
+
 	assert_octree_valid(mOctree);
 	
 	return TRUE;
diff --git a/indra/newview/llspatialpartition.h b/indra/newview/llspatialpartition.h
index 7968c28900d487425e406e39597e1845b61052e4..d3cda2ff6a49f68351da1176fab84eb93ad2b852 100644
--- a/indra/newview/llspatialpartition.h
+++ b/indra/newview/llspatialpartition.h
@@ -346,6 +346,8 @@ class LLSpatialGroup : public LLOctreeListener<LLDrawable>
 	void dirtyGeom() { setState(GEOM_DIRTY); }
 	void dirtyMesh() { setState(MESH_DIRTY); }
 	element_list& getData() { return mOctreeNode->getData(); }
+	bool hasElement(LLDrawable* drawablep) { return mOctreeNode->getData().find(drawablep) != mOctreeNode->getData().end(); }
+
 	U32 getElementCount() const { return mOctreeNode->getElementCount(); }
 
 	void drawObjectBox(LLColor4 col);