diff --git a/packages/bridge/src/convert/remove.ts b/packages/bridge/src/convert/remove.ts
index c26e300..aa538e3 100644
--- a/packages/bridge/src/convert/remove.ts
+++ b/packages/bridge/src/convert/remove.ts
@@ -57,14 +57,10 @@ const opRemove = (op: Automerge.Diff, [map, ops]: any) => {
   try {
     const { index, path, obj, type } = op
 
-    // early return if no map obj available
-    if (!map) {
-      return [map, ops]
-    }
-
     if (
       map.hasOwnProperty(obj) &&
       typeof map[obj] !== 'string' &&
+      map[obj].splice &&
       type !== 'text'
     ) {
       map[obj].splice(index, 1)