diff --git a/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/design/LawOfDemeterRule.java b/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/design/LawOfDemeterRule.java
index 3fa5a1935f..64d5a9f10f 100644
--- a/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/design/LawOfDemeterRule.java
+++ b/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/design/LawOfDemeterRule.java
@@ -305,7 +305,7 @@ public class LawOfDemeterRule extends AbstractJavaRule {
         return reaching.getReaching().stream()
                 // sort the assignments to have a deterministic result. We need to call #foreignDegree always
                 // in the same order, to get the same computed degrees.
-                .sorted(Comparator.comparing(AssignmentEntry::getLocation, Node.COORDS_COMPARATOR).reversed())
+                .sorted(Comparator.comparing(AssignmentEntry::getLocation, Node.COORDS_COMPARATOR))
                 .mapToInt(this::foreignDegree).max().orElse(TRUSTED);
     }
 
diff --git a/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/design/xml/LawOfDemeter.xml b/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/design/xml/LawOfDemeter.xml
index c977a3e509..6bed57392a 100644
--- a/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/design/xml/LawOfDemeter.xml
+++ b/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/design/xml/LawOfDemeter.xml
@@ -1194,8 +1194,8 @@ public final class ControlEvent {
         <expected-problems>2</expected-problems>
         <expected-linenumbers>15,17</expected-linenumbers>
         <expected-messages>
-            <message>Access to field `left` on foreign value `p` (degree 1)</message>
-            <message>Access to field `right` on foreign value `p` (degree 2)</message>
+            <message>Access to field `left` on foreign value `p` (degree 2)</message>
+            <message>Access to field `right` on foreign value `p` (degree 1)</message>
         </expected-messages>
         <code><![CDATA[
 class LawOfDemeterFields {