diff --git a/app/controllers/issues_controller.rb b/app/controllers/issues_controller.rb
index ec00ba619..3cb44198e 100644
--- a/app/controllers/issues_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/issues_controller.rb
@@ -275,6 +275,8 @@ class IssuesController < ApplicationController
       @issues.reject! {|issue| @issues.detect {|other| issue.is_descendant_of?(other)}}
     end
 
+    @assignee_to_author = true if attributes['assigned_to_id'].present? && attributes['assigned_to_id'] == 'author'
+
     @issues.each do |orig_issue|
       orig_issue.reload
       if @copy
@@ -287,7 +289,7 @@ class IssuesController < ApplicationController
         issue = orig_issue
       end
       journal = issue.init_journal(User.current, params[:notes])
-      if attributes['assigned_to_id'].present? && attributes['assigned_to_id'] == 'author'
+      if @assignee_to_author
         attributes['assigned_to_id'] = issue.author_id
       end
       issue.safe_attributes = attributes
diff --git a/test/functional/issues_controller_test.rb b/test/functional/issues_controller_test.rb
index 7ddb70cfe..83a293e74 100644
--- a/test/functional/issues_controller_test.rb
+++ b/test/functional/issues_controller_test.rb
@@ -4204,6 +4204,13 @@ class IssuesControllerTest < ActionController::TestCase
     Issue.where(id: [1, 2]).each {|i| assert_equal 2, i.assigned_to_id}
   end
 
+  def test_bulk_update_with_different_author
+    @request.session[:user_id] = 2
+    ids = Project.find(2).issues.map(&:id)
+    post :bulk_update, :ids => ids, :issue => {:project_id => '2', assigned_to_id: 'author'}
+    Project.find(2).issues.each {|i| assert_equal i.author_id, i.assigned_to_id}
+  end
+
   def test_get_bulk_copy
     @request.session[:user_id] = 2
     get :bulk_edit, :ids => [1, 2, 3], :copy => '1'