diff --git a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiApplication.cpp b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiApplication.cpp
index 1ccce972a1..916f0a4e14 100644
--- a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiApplication.cpp
+++ b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiApplication.cpp
@@ -1591,13 +1591,12 @@ void GuiApplication::dispatch(FuncRequest const & cmd, DispatchResult & dr)
 		validateCurrentView();
 		// FIXME: create a new method shared with LFUN_HELP_OPEN.
 		string const fname = to_utf8(cmd.argument());
-		if (!fname.empty() && !FileName::isAbsolute(fname)) {
+		if (!FileName::isAbsolute(fname)) {
 			dr.setError(true);
 			dr.setMessage(_("Absolute filename expected."));
 			break;
 		}		
-		bool const is_open = FileName::isAbsolute(fname) 
-			&& theBufferList().getBuffer(FileName(fname));
+		bool const is_open = theBufferList().getBuffer(FileName(fname));
 		if (d->views_.empty()
 		    || (!lyxrc.open_buffers_in_tabs
 			&& current_view_->documentBufferView() != 0