diff --git a/docs/pages/release_notes.md b/docs/pages/release_notes.md
index c64d3d109d..1237f0a89e 100644
--- a/docs/pages/release_notes.md
+++ b/docs/pages/release_notes.md
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ This is a minor release.
     *   [#1267](https://github.com/pmd/pmd/pull/1267): \[java] MissingOverrideRule: Avoid NoClassDefFoundError with incomplete classpath
 *   java-codestyle
     *   [#1255](https://github.com/pmd/pmd/issues/1255): \[java] UnnecessaryFullyQualifiedName false positive: static method on shadowed implicitly imported class
+    *   [#1258](https://github.com/pmd/pmd/issues/1285): \[java] False positive "UselessParentheses" for parentheses that contain assignment
 *   java-errorprone
     *   [#1078](https://github.com/pmd/pmd/issues/1078): \[java] MissingSerialVersionUID rule does not seem to catch inherited classes
 *   jsp
@@ -52,3 +53,4 @@ This is a minor release.
 *   [#1277](https://github.com/pmd/pmd/pull/1277): \[jsp] #1276 add support for jspf and tag extensions - [Jordi Llach](https://github.com/jordillachmrf)
 *   [#1275](https://github.com/pmd/pmd/pull/1275): \[jsp] Issue #1274 - Support EL in tag attributes - [Jordi Llach](https://github.com/jordillachmrf)
 *   [#1278](https://github.com/pmd/pmd/pull/1278): \[ci] \[GSoC] Use pmdtester 1.0.0.pre.beta3 - [BBG](https://github.com/djydewang)
+*   [#1289](https://github.com/pmd/pmd/pull/1289): \[java] UselessParentheses: Fix false positive with assignments - [cobratbq](https://github.com/cobratbq)
diff --git a/pmd-java/src/main/resources/category/java/codestyle.xml b/pmd-java/src/main/resources/category/java/codestyle.xml
index 01aae5f509..27f03db591 100644
--- a/pmd-java/src/main/resources/category/java/codestyle.xml
+++ b/pmd-java/src/main/resources/category/java/codestyle.xml
@@ -1769,6 +1769,7 @@ public class Foo {
     [not(./CastExpression)]
     [not(./ConditionalExpression)]
     [not(./AdditiveExpression)]
+    [not(./AssignmentOperator)]
 |
 //Expression[not(parent::PrimaryPrefix)]/PrimaryExpression[count(*)=1]
   /PrimaryPrefix/Expression
diff --git a/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/codestyle/xml/UselessParentheses.xml b/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/codestyle/xml/UselessParentheses.xml
index 2a2de5804d..777c87bcca 100644
--- a/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/codestyle/xml/UselessParentheses.xml
+++ b/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/codestyle/xml/UselessParentheses.xml
@@ -483,6 +483,22 @@ public class Test {
         return (Character.toUpperCase(str1.charAt(0))
                 + str1.substring(1)).replace('_', ' ');
     }
+}
+        ]]></code>
+    </test-code>
+
+    <test-code>
+        <description>[java] False positive "UselessParentheses" for parentheses that contain assignment #1285</description>
+        <expected-problems>0</expected-problems>
+        <code><![CDATA[
+public class Test {
+    public void test() {
+        Pattern p;
+        Matcher m;
+        if ((m = p.matcher("hello world")).matches()) {
+            System.out.println("Hello world");
+        }
+    }
 }
         ]]></code>
     </test-code>