diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/utils/FBUtilities.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/utils/FBUtilities.java
index 5db6511534..732899d674 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/utils/FBUtilities.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/utils/FBUtilities.java
@@ -695,7 +695,7 @@ public class FBUtilities
 
         try
         {
-            FBUtilities.classForName(className, "Audit logger");
+            FBUtilities.classForNameWithoutInitialization(className, "Audit logger", IAuditLogger.class);
         }
         catch (ConfigurationException e)
         {
diff --git a/test/unit/org/apache/cassandra/utils/FBUtilitiesTest.java b/test/unit/org/apache/cassandra/utils/FBUtilitiesTest.java
index e32bf7d74d..da73005221 100644
--- a/test/unit/org/apache/cassandra/utils/FBUtilitiesTest.java
+++ b/test/unit/org/apache/cassandra/utils/FBUtilitiesTest.java
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ import org.apache.cassandra.exceptions.ConfigurationException;
 import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatThrownBy;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
 import static org.junit.Assert.fail;
 
 public class FBUtilitiesTest
@@ -101,6 +102,17 @@ public class FBUtilitiesTest
         assertFalse(ClassLoadingTestSupport.wasInitialized(ClassLoadingTestNonAssignable.class));
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testIsAuditLoggerClassExistsRejectsWrongTypeWithoutInitializing()
+    {
+        ClassLoadingTestSupport.assertNotInitialized(ClassLoadingTestNonAssignable.class);
+        assertFalse(FBUtilities.isAuditLoggerClassExists(ClassLoadingTestNonAssignable.class.getName()));
+        assertFalse(ClassLoadingTestSupport.wasInitialized(ClassLoadingTestNonAssignable.class));
+
+        assertTrue(FBUtilities.isAuditLoggerClassExists("NoOpAuditLogger"));
+        assertFalse(FBUtilities.isAuditLoggerClassExists("does.not.ExistAuditLogger"));
+    }
+
     @Test
     public void testCompareByteSubArrays()
     {