diff --git a/src/components/list/list.js b/src/components/list/list.js
index 2310907fbd..5febce0231 100644
--- a/src/components/list/list.js
+++ b/src/components/list/list.js
@@ -349,9 +349,11 @@ function mdListItemDirective($mdAria, $mdConstant, $mdUtil, $timeout) {
       }
 
       function wrapSecondaryItem(secondaryItem, container) {
-        // If the current secondary item is not a button, but contains a ng-click attribute,
-        // the secondary item will be automatically wrapped inside of a button.
-        if (secondaryItem && !isButton(secondaryItem) && secondaryItem.hasAttribute('ng-click')) {
+        // If the current secondary item is not a button or proxied element,
+        // but contains a ng-click attribute, the secondary item will be automatically
+        // wrapped inside of a button.
+        if (secondaryItem && !isButton(secondaryItem) && !isProxiedElement(secondaryItem)
+            && secondaryItem.hasAttribute('ng-click')) {
 
           $mdAria.expect(secondaryItem, 'aria-label');
           var buttonWrapper = angular.element('<md-button class="md-secondary md-icon-button">');
@@ -367,7 +369,8 @@ function mdListItemDirective($mdAria, $mdConstant, $mdUtil, $timeout) {
           secondaryItem = buttonWrapper[0];
         }
 
-        if (secondaryItem && (!hasClickEvent(secondaryItem) || (!tAttrs.ngClick && isProxiedElement(secondaryItem)))) {
+        if (secondaryItem && !tAttrs.ngClick && !hasClickEvent(secondaryItem)
+            && isProxiedElement(secondaryItem)) {
           // In this case we remove the secondary class, so we can identify it later, when we searching for the
           // proxy items.
           angular.element(secondaryItem).removeClass('md-secondary');
diff --git a/src/components/list/list.spec.js b/src/components/list/list.spec.js
index 84d9271309..de46872dad 100644
--- a/src/components/list/list.spec.js
+++ b/src/components/list/list.spec.js
@@ -334,6 +334,53 @@ describe('mdListItem directive', function() {
     expect(iconButton.firstElementChild.hasAttribute('ng-show')).toBe(false);
   });
 
+  it('should not create a parent button for proxied secondary elements with ng-click', function() {
+    var listItem = setup(
+      '<md-list-item ng-click="sayHello()">' +
+        '<p>Hello World</p>' +
+        '<md-checkbox class="md-secondary" ng-click="goWild()"></md-checkbox>' +
+      '</md-list-item>');
+
+    // First child is our button wrap
+    var firstChild = listItem.children().eq(0);
+    expect(firstChild[0].nodeName).toBe('DIV');
+
+    expect(listItem).toHaveClass('_md-button-wrap');
+
+    // It should contain three elements, the button overlay, inner content
+    // and the secondary container.
+    expect(firstChild.children().length).toBe(3);
+
+    var secondaryContainer = firstChild.children().eq(2);
+    expect(secondaryContainer).toHaveClass('md-secondary-container');
+
+    // The secondary container should contain the md-checkbox, without any button as parent.
+    var checkboxItem = secondaryContainer.children()[0];
+
+    expect(checkboxItem.nodeName).toBe('MD-CHECKBOX');
+    expect(checkboxItem.hasAttribute('ng-click')).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('should not use as a proxied element when using ng-click on the element', function() {
+    var listItem = setup(
+      '<md-list-item ng-click="sayHello()">' +
+        '<p>Hello World</p>' +
+        '<md-checkbox class="md-secondary" ng-click="null" ng-model="isChecked"></md-checkbox>' +
+      '</md-list-item>');
+
+    var checkboxEl = listItem.find('md-checkbox');
+
+    expect($rootScope.isChecked).toBeFalsy();
+
+    var clickListener = listItem[0].querySelector('div');
+
+    clickListener.click();
+    expect($rootScope.isChecked).toBeFalsy();
+
+    checkboxEl[0].click();
+    expect($rootScope.isChecked).toBeTruthy();
+  });
+
   it('moves multiple md-secondary items outside of the button', function() {
     var listItem = setup(
       '<md-list-item ng-click="sayHello()">' +