diff --git a/src/widget-modality/js/Widget-Modality.js b/src/widget-modality/js/Widget-Modality.js
index 2446b6dc144..794b6fc8fa1 100644
--- a/src/widget-modality/js/Widget-Modality.js
+++ b/src/widget-modality/js/Widget-Modality.js
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ var WIDGET       = 'widget',
     BIND_UI      = 'bindUI',
     SYNC_UI      = 'syncUI',
     BOUNDING_BOX = 'boundingBox',
-    CONTENT_BOX  = 'contentBox',
     VISIBLE      = 'visible',
     Z_INDEX      = 'zIndex',
     CHANGE       = 'Change',
@@ -127,6 +126,7 @@ var WIDGET       = 'widget',
     WidgetModal.CLASSES = MODAL_CLASSES;
 
 
+    WidgetModal._MASK = null;
     /**
      * Returns the mask if it exists on the page - otherwise creates a mask. There's only
      * one mask on a page at a given time.
@@ -138,14 +138,15 @@ var WIDGET       = 'widget',
      */
     WidgetModal._GET_MASK = function() {
 
-        var mask = Y.one('.' + MODAL_CLASSES.mask),
+        var mask = WidgetModal._MASK,
             win  = Y.one('win');
 
-        if (mask) {
+        if (mask && (mask.getDOMNode() !== null) && mask.inDoc()) {
             return mask;
         }
 
         mask = Y.Node.create('<div></div>').addClass(MODAL_CLASSES.mask);
+        WidgetModal._MASK = mask;
 
         if (supportsPosFixed) {
             mask.setStyles({
@@ -270,7 +271,7 @@ var WIDGET       = 'widget',
          *
          * @method _focus
          */
-        _focus : function (e) {
+        _focus : function () {
 
             var bb = this.get(BOUNDING_BOX),
             oldTI = bb.get('tabIndex');
@@ -430,7 +431,7 @@ var WIDGET       = 'widget',
             }
 
             if ( ! supportsPosFixed) {
-                uiHandles.push(Y.one('win').on('scroll', Y.bind(function(e){
+                uiHandles.push(Y.one('win').on('scroll', Y.bind(function(){
                     maskNode.setStyle('top', maskNode.get('docScrollY'));
                 }, this)));
             }
@@ -547,7 +548,7 @@ var WIDGET       = 'widget',
          *
          * @method _afterFocusOnChange
          */
-        _afterFocusOnChange : function(e) {
+        _afterFocusOnChange : function() {
             this._detachUIHandlesModal();
 
             if (this.get(VISIBLE)) {
diff --git a/src/widget-modality/tests/unit/assets/widget-modality-test.js b/src/widget-modality/tests/unit/assets/widget-modality-test.js
index f78805f0548..aad506d3235 100644
--- a/src/widget-modality/tests/unit/assets/widget-modality-test.js
+++ b/src/widget-modality/tests/unit/assets/widget-modality-test.js
@@ -101,6 +101,47 @@ suite.add(new Y.Test.Case({
 
         modal1.destroy();
         modal2.destroy();
+    },
+
+    'WidgetModality should not get distracted by cloned masks': function () {
+        var modal,
+            widget,
+            before_clone,
+            after_clone,
+            orig_mask,
+            test = Y.one('#test'),
+            test_orig = Y.Node.create('<div/>');
+
+        test.append(test_orig);
+
+        this.widget = new TestWidget({
+            modal : true,
+            render: test_orig
+        });
+
+        this.widget.hide();
+        orig_mask = Y.one('.yui3-widget-mask');
+        Assert.areSame(orig_mask, this.widget.get('maskNode'));
+
+        // clone the widget
+        // typically this would happen because other code clones the
+        // widget and does not clean up. i.e. a drag-drop proxy
+        before_clone = test_orig.cloneNode(true);
+        test.prepend(before_clone);
+
+        after_clone = test_orig.cloneNode(true);
+        test.append(after_clone);
+
+        Assert.areNotSame(orig_mask, Y.one('.yui3-widget-mask'));
+        Assert.areSame(orig_mask, this.widget.get('maskNode'));
+
+        // if we show the widget, only the original mask is shown
+        this.widget.show();
+
+        Assert.areSame('block', orig_mask.getStyle('display'));
+        Assert.areSame('none', before_clone.one('.yui3-widget-mask').getStyle('display'));
+        Assert.areSame('none', after_clone.one('.yui3-widget-mask').getStyle('display'));
+
     }
 }));