diff --git a/jetty-ee9/jetty-ee9-nested/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/ee9/nested/HttpChannelState.java b/jetty-ee9/jetty-ee9-nested/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/ee9/nested/HttpChannelState.java
index 17b1bf62688..5e749f09cab 100644
--- a/jetty-ee9/jetty-ee9-nested/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/ee9/nested/HttpChannelState.java
+++ b/jetty-ee9/jetty-ee9-nested/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/ee9/nested/HttpChannelState.java
@@ -354,7 +354,6 @@ public class HttpChannelState
      */
     Boolean abort(Throwable failure)
     {
-        boolean handle;
         try (AutoLock ignored = lock())
         {
             boolean aborted = abortResponse(failure);
@@ -362,9 +361,13 @@ public class HttpChannelState
                 LOG.debug("abort={} {}", aborted, this, failure);
             if (aborted)
             {
-                handle = _state == State.WAITING;
+                boolean handle = _state == State.WAITING;
                 if (handle)
                     _state = State.WOKEN;
+                // XXX changing the RequestState to COMPLETED *and* returning true here
+                //  means completed(Throwable failure) will be called by the redispatching
+                //  and the latter will throw on its _requestState check as it wants it
+                //  to be COMPLETING.
                 _requestState = RequestState.COMPLETED;
                 return handle;
             }
@@ -1022,7 +1025,7 @@ public class HttpChannelState
                 LOG.debug("completed {}", toStringLocked());
 
             if (_requestState != RequestState.COMPLETING)
-                throw new IllegalStateException(this.getStatusStringLocked());
+                return; // Already completed, possibly by abort().
 
             if (_event == null)
             {