diff --git a/framework/src/main/java/org/checkerframework/framework/type/AnnotatedTypeFactory.java b/framework/src/main/java/org/checkerframework/framework/type/AnnotatedTypeFactory.java
index 446cf869264..3285d2af876 100644
--- a/framework/src/main/java/org/checkerframework/framework/type/AnnotatedTypeFactory.java
+++ b/framework/src/main/java/org/checkerframework/framework/type/AnnotatedTypeFactory.java
@@ -4992,7 +4992,8 @@ public List<AnnotatedTypeVariable> order(Collection<AnnotatedTypeVariable> colle
 
   /**
    * Returns the first TypeVariable in {@code collection} that does not lexically contain any other
-   * type in the collection.
+   * type in the collection. Or if all the TypeVariables contain another, then it returns the first
+   * TypeVariable in {@code collection}.
    *
    * @param collection a collection of type variables
    * @return the first TypeVariable in {@code collection} that does not contain any other type in
@@ -5001,7 +5002,11 @@ public List<AnnotatedTypeVariable> order(Collection<AnnotatedTypeVariable> colle
   @SuppressWarnings("interning:not.interned") // must be the same object from collection
   private AnnotatedTypeVariable doesNotContainOthers(
       Collection<? extends AnnotatedTypeVariable> collection) {
+    AnnotatedTypeVariable first = null;
     for (AnnotatedTypeVariable candidate : collection) {
+      if (first == null) {
+        first = candidate;
+      }
       boolean doesNotContain = true;
       for (AnnotatedTypeVariable other : collection) {
         if (candidate != other && captureScanner.visit(candidate, other.getUnderlyingType())) {
@@ -5013,7 +5018,7 @@ private AnnotatedTypeVariable doesNotContainOthers(
         return candidate;
       }
     }
-    throw new BugInCF("Not found: %s", StringsPlume.join(",", collection));
+    return first;
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/framework/tests/all-systems/Issue4852.java b/framework/tests/all-systems/Issue4852.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..df423761342
--- /dev/null
+++ b/framework/tests/all-systems/Issue4852.java
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+@SuppressWarnings("all") // Just check for crashes.
+public class Issue4852 {
+  interface Class1<E extends Class1<E, B>, B extends Class1.Class2<E, B>> {
+    abstract class Class2<E extends Class1<E, B>, B extends Class2<E, B>> {}
+  }
+
+  class Class3 {
+    private void f(Class1<?, ?> x) {}
+  }
+}