diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/AssetModelsController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/AssetModelsController.php
index 012f40e399..455fc82491 100755
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/AssetModelsController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/AssetModelsController.php
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ use App\Http\Requests\ImageUploadRequest;
 use App\Models\Actionlog;
 use App\Models\Asset;
 use App\Models\AssetModel;
+use App\Models\CustomField;
 use App\Models\User;
 use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Auth;
 use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;
@@ -169,6 +170,7 @@ class AssetModelsController extends Controller
 
         if ($this->shouldAddDefaultValues($request->input())) {
             if (!$this->assignCustomFieldsDefaultValues($model, $request->input('default_values'))){
+                //TODO: this needs to return the actual validation errors, will come back to this before opening PR
                 return redirect()->back()->withInput()->with('error', trans('admin/custom_fields/message.fieldset_default_value.error'));
             }
         }
@@ -489,11 +491,11 @@ class AssetModelsController extends Controller
      * @param  array      $defaultValues
      * @return void
      */
-    private function assignCustomFieldsDefaultValues(AssetModel $model, array $defaultValues)
+    private function assignCustomFieldsDefaultValues(AssetModel $model, array $defaultValues): bool
     {
         $data = array();
         foreach ($defaultValues as $customFieldId => $defaultValue) {
-            $customField = \App\Models\CustomField::find($customFieldId);
+            $customField = CustomField::find($customFieldId);
 
             $data[$customField->db_column] = $defaultValue;
         }
diff --git a/app/Models/CustomFieldset.php b/app/Models/CustomFieldset.php
index c73d277a10..f5e9897dd3 100644
--- a/app/Models/CustomFieldset.php
+++ b/app/Models/CustomFieldset.php
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ class CustomFieldset extends Model
             if ($field->element == 'checkbox') {
                 //Log::alert($field->formatFieldValuesAsArray());
                 $values = $field->formatFieldValuesAsArray();
-                $rules[$field->db_column_name()] = 'checkboxes';
+                $rules[$field->db_column_name()][] = 'checkboxes';
             }
         }
 
diff --git a/app/Providers/ValidationServiceProvider.php b/app/Providers/ValidationServiceProvider.php
index 860564ec1f..0bd201a262 100644
--- a/app/Providers/ValidationServiceProvider.php
+++ b/app/Providers/ValidationServiceProvider.php
@@ -297,23 +297,24 @@ class ValidationServiceProvider extends ServiceProvider
             return !is_array($value);
         });
 
+        // This is only used in Models/CustomFieldset.php - it does automatic validation for checkboxes by making sure
+        // that the submitted values actually exist in the options.
         Validator::extend('checkboxes', function ($attribute, $value, $parameters, $validator){
             $options = CustomField::where('db_column', $attribute)->first()->formatFieldValuesAsArray();
+            if(is_array($value)) {
+                $invalid = array_diff($value, $options);
+                if(count($invalid) > 0) {
+                    return false;
+                }
+            }
             // for legacy, allows users to submit a comma separated string of options
-            if(!is_array($value)) {
+            elseif(!is_array($value)) {
                 $exploded = explode(',', $value);
                 $invalid = array_diff($exploded, $options);
                 if(count($invalid) > 0) {
                     return false;
                 }
-            } else {
-                $valid = array_intersect($value, $options);
-                if(array_count_values($valid) > 0) {
-                    return true;
-                }
-            }
-
-
+            } else return true;
         });
     }