diff --git a/test_unstructured/partition/test_auto.py b/test_unstructured/partition/test_auto.py
index f33cada092..cfc5415278 100644
--- a/test_unstructured/partition/test_auto.py
+++ b/test_unstructured/partition/test_auto.py
@@ -584,6 +584,19 @@ def test_auto_handles_kwarg_with_infer_table_structure(infer_bool):
         assert mock_process_file_with_model.call_args[1]["infer_table_structure"] is infer_bool
 
 
+def test_auto_handles_kwarg_with_infer_table_structure_when_none():
+    with patch(
+        "unstructured.partition.pdf_image.ocr.process_file_with_ocr",
+    ) as mock_process_file_with_model:
+        partition(
+            example_doc_path("pdf/layout-parser-paper-fast.pdf"),
+            pdf_infer_table_structure=True,
+            strategy=PartitionStrategy.HI_RES,
+            infer_table_structure=None,
+        )
+        assert mock_process_file_with_model.call_args[1]["infer_table_structure"] is True
+
+
 def test_auto_partition_pdf_uses_pdf_infer_table_structure_argument():
     with patch(
         "unstructured.partition.pdf_image.ocr.process_file_with_ocr",
diff --git a/unstructured/partition/auto.py b/unstructured/partition/auto.py
index 82be86483c..7616d763cf 100644
--- a/unstructured/partition/auto.py
+++ b/unstructured/partition/auto.py
@@ -178,13 +178,15 @@ def partition(
     # into a partition function, e.g., partition_email is reused to partition sub-elements, e.g.,
     # partition an image attachment buy calling partition with the kwargs. In that case here kwargs
     # would have a infer_table_structure already
-    infer_table_structure = kwargs.pop(
-        "infer_table_structure",
-        decide_table_extraction(
+    kwargs_infer_table_structure = kwargs.pop("infer_table_structure", None)
+    infer_table_structure = (
+        kwargs_infer_table_structure
+        if kwargs_infer_table_structure is not None
+        else decide_table_extraction(
             file_type,
             skip_infer_table_types,
             pdf_infer_table_structure,
-        ),
+        )
     )
 
     partitioner_loader = _PartitionerLoader()