diff --git a/modules/light-clients/06-solomachine/client_state.go b/modules/light-clients/06-solomachine/client_state.go
index 94911929549..0d515356eee 100644
--- a/modules/light-clients/06-solomachine/client_state.go
+++ b/modules/light-clients/06-solomachine/client_state.go
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ func (cs *ClientState) VerifyMembership(
 		return sdkerrors.Wrapf(sdkerrors.ErrInvalidType, "expected %T, got %T", commitmenttypes.MerklePath{}, path)
 	}
 
-	if len(merklePath.String()) == 0 {
+	if merklePath.Empty() {
 		return sdkerrors.Wrap(commitmenttypes.ErrInvalidProof, "path is empty")
 	}
 
diff --git a/modules/light-clients/06-solomachine/client_state_test.go b/modules/light-clients/06-solomachine/client_state_test.go
index 58511619939..11507a5eda9 100644
--- a/modules/light-clients/06-solomachine/client_state_test.go
+++ b/modules/light-clients/06-solomachine/client_state_test.go
@@ -520,7 +520,7 @@ func (suite *SoloMachineTestSuite) TestVerifyMembership() {
 			{
 				"empty path",
 				func() {
-					path = []byte("")
+					path = commitmenttypes.MerklePath{}
 				},
 				false,
 			},