diff --git a/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/cfg/context/ExecutableConstraintMappingContextImpl.java b/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/cfg/context/ExecutableConstraintMappingContextImpl.java
index 9caa1cbf15..ac4111108f 100644
--- a/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/cfg/context/ExecutableConstraintMappingContextImpl.java
+++ b/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/cfg/context/ExecutableConstraintMappingContextImpl.java
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ public ConstrainedElement build(ConstraintHelper constraintHelper, TypeResolutio
 				crossParameterContext != null ? crossParameterContext.getConstraints( constraintHelper, typeResolutionHelper, valueExtractorManager ) : Collections.<MetaConstraint<?>>emptySet(),
 				returnValueContext != null ? returnValueContext.getConstraints( constraintHelper, typeResolutionHelper, valueExtractorManager ) : Collections.<MetaConstraint<?>>emptySet(),
 				returnValueContext != null ? returnValueContext.getTypeArgumentConstraints( constraintHelper, typeResolutionHelper, valueExtractorManager ) : Collections.<MetaConstraint<?>>emptySet(),
-				returnValueContext != null ? returnValueContext.getCascadingMetaData() : CascadingTypeParameter.nonCascading( ReflectionHelper.typeOf( executable ) )
+				returnValueContext != null ? returnValueContext.getCascadingMetaData() : CascadingTypeParameter.nonCascading()
 		);
 	}
 
diff --git a/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/metadata/cascading/CascadingTypeParameter.java b/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/metadata/cascading/CascadingTypeParameter.java
index a644c8bec4..d387dab552 100644
--- a/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/metadata/cascading/CascadingTypeParameter.java
+++ b/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/metadata/cascading/CascadingTypeParameter.java
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@ public class CascadingTypeParameter {
 
 	private static final Log LOG = LoggerFactory.make();
 
+	private static final CascadingTypeParameter NON_CASCADING =
+			new CascadingTypeParameter( null, null, false, Collections.emptyMap(), Collections.emptyMap() );
+
 	/**
 	 * The enclosing type that defines this type parameter.
 	 */
@@ -90,9 +93,8 @@ public CascadingTypeParameter(Type enclosingType, TypeVariable<?> typeParameter,
 		hasGroupConversionsOnElementOrContainerElements = tmpHasGroupConversionsOnElementOrContainerElements;
 	}
 
-	public static CascadingTypeParameter nonCascading(Type cascadableType) {
-		// as it's non cascading anyway, we can also treat the arrays as annotated object
-		return annotatedObject( cascadableType, false, Collections.emptyMap(), Collections.emptyMap() );
+	public static CascadingTypeParameter nonCascading() {
+		return NON_CASCADING;
 	}
 
 	public static CascadingTypeParameter annotatedObject(Type cascadableType, boolean cascading,
@@ -135,6 +137,13 @@ public Map<TypeVariable<?>, CascadingTypeParameter> getContainerElementTypesCasc
 	}
 
 	public CascadingTypeParameter merge(CascadingTypeParameter otherCascadingTypeParameter) {
+		if ( this == NON_CASCADING ) {
+			return otherCascadingTypeParameter;
+		}
+		if ( otherCascadingTypeParameter == NON_CASCADING ) {
+			return this;
+		}
+
 		boolean cascading = this.cascading || otherCascadingTypeParameter.cascading;
 
 		Map<Class<?>, Class<?>> groupConversions = mergeGroupConversion( this.groupConversions, otherCascadingTypeParameter.groupConversions );
diff --git a/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/metadata/provider/AnnotationMetaDataProvider.java b/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/metadata/provider/AnnotationMetaDataProvider.java
index 34a2d923f5..82a31b4a21 100644
--- a/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/metadata/provider/AnnotationMetaDataProvider.java
+++ b/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/metadata/provider/AnnotationMetaDataProvider.java
@@ -327,7 +327,7 @@ private ConstrainedExecutable findExecutableMetaData(Executable executable) {
 		if ( annotationProcessingOptions.areReturnValueConstraintsIgnoredFor( executable ) ) {
 			returnValueConstraints = Collections.emptySet();
 			typeArgumentsConstraints = Collections.emptySet();
-			cascadingMetaData = CascadingTypeParameter.nonCascading( ReflectionHelper.typeOf( executable ) );
+			cascadingMetaData = CascadingTypeParameter.nonCascading();
 		}
 		else {
 			typeArgumentsConstraints = findTypeAnnotationConstraints( executable );
@@ -401,7 +401,7 @@ private List<ConstrainedParameter> getParameterMetaData(Executable executable) {
 								i,
 								parameterConstraints,
 								Collections.emptySet(),
-								CascadingTypeParameter.nonCascading( type )
+								CascadingTypeParameter.nonCascading()
 						)
 				);
 				i++;
@@ -607,7 +607,7 @@ private CascadingTypeParameter findCascadingMetaData(Executable executable, int
 		}
 		catch (ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException ex) {
 			log.warn( MESSAGES.constraintOnConstructorOfNonStaticInnerClass(), ex );
-			return CascadingTypeParameter.nonCascading( ReflectionHelper.typeOf( parameter.getDeclaringExecutable(), i ) );
+			return CascadingTypeParameter.nonCascading();
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/metadata/raw/ConstrainedParameter.java b/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/metadata/raw/ConstrainedParameter.java
index 2d00bdb85b..26adef5082 100644
--- a/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/metadata/raw/ConstrainedParameter.java
+++ b/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/metadata/raw/ConstrainedParameter.java
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ public ConstrainedParameter(ConfigurationSource source,
 				index,
 				Collections.<MetaConstraint<?>>emptySet(),
 				Collections.<MetaConstraint<?>>emptySet(),
-				CascadingTypeParameter.nonCascading( type )
+				CascadingTypeParameter.nonCascading()
 		);
 	}
 
diff --git a/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/metadata/raw/ConstrainedType.java b/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/metadata/raw/ConstrainedType.java
index 687726d654..a05cd1e540 100644
--- a/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/metadata/raw/ConstrainedType.java
+++ b/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/metadata/raw/ConstrainedType.java
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ public ConstrainedType(ConfigurationSource source, Class<?> beanClass, Set<MetaC
 				ConstrainedElementKind.TYPE,
 				constraints,
 				Collections.emptySet(),
-				CascadingTypeParameter.nonCascading( beanClass )
+				CascadingTypeParameter.nonCascading()
 		);
 
 		this.beanClass = beanClass;
diff --git a/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/xml/ConstrainedExecutableBuilder.java b/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/xml/ConstrainedExecutableBuilder.java
index 861f2c3f59..279e77b143 100644
--- a/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/xml/ConstrainedExecutableBuilder.java
+++ b/engine/src/main/java/org/hibernate/validator/internal/xml/ConstrainedExecutableBuilder.java
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 import java.lang.reflect.TypeVariable;
 import java.security.AccessController;
 import java.security.PrivilegedAction;
-import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
@@ -210,13 +209,11 @@ private ConstrainedExecutable parseExecutableType(String defaultPackage,
 		// parse the return value
 		Set<MetaConstraint<?>> returnValueConstraints = new HashSet<>();
 		Set<MetaConstraint<?>> returnValueTypeArgumentConstraints = new HashSet<>();
-		List<CascadingTypeParameter> cascadingTypeParameters = new ArrayList<>();
 		CascadingTypeParameter cascadingMetaData = parseReturnValueType(
 				returnValueType,
 				executable,
 				returnValueConstraints,
 				returnValueTypeArgumentConstraints,
-				cascadingTypeParameters,
 				defaultPackage
 		);
 
@@ -268,10 +265,9 @@ private CascadingTypeParameter parseReturnValueType(ReturnValueType returnValueT
 												Executable executable,
 												Set<MetaConstraint<?>> returnValueConstraints,
 												Set<MetaConstraint<?>> returnValueTypeArgumentConstraints,
-												List<CascadingTypeParameter> cascadingTypeParameters,
 												String defaultPackage) {
 		if ( returnValueType == null ) {
-			return CascadingTypeParameter.nonCascading( ReflectionHelper.typeOf( executable ) );
+			return CascadingTypeParameter.nonCascading();
 		}
 
 		ConstraintLocation constraintLocation = ConstraintLocation.forReturnValue( executable );
diff --git a/engine/src/test/java/org/hibernate/validator/test/internal/engine/methodvalidation/AbstractMethodValidationTest.java b/engine/src/test/java/org/hibernate/validator/test/internal/engine/methodvalidation/AbstractMethodValidationTest.java
index bf00cd5456..3031bb1671 100644
--- a/engine/src/test/java/org/hibernate/validator/test/internal/engine/methodvalidation/AbstractMethodValidationTest.java
+++ b/engine/src/test/java/org/hibernate/validator/test/internal/engine/methodvalidation/AbstractMethodValidationTest.java
@@ -265,9 +265,7 @@ public void cascadingIterableParameter() {
 		}
 	}
 
-	// FIXME HV-1330: we have transient failures with this test
-	// sometimes the exception is not thrown
-	@Test(enabled = false)
+	@Test
 	public void cascadingArrayParameter() {
 		Customer customer = new Customer( null );