diff --git a/src/common/pipes/filter-validation.pipe.ts b/src/common/pipes/filter-validation.pipe.ts
index e2cc07ff0..dbe81b0b5 100644
--- a/src/common/pipes/filter-validation.pipe.ts
+++ b/src/common/pipes/filter-validation.pipe.ts
@@ -16,12 +16,18 @@ export class FilterValidationPipe implements PipeTransform<string, string> {
   ) {}
   transform(inValue: string): string {
     const allAllowedKeys: string[] = [...this.allowedObjectKeys];
+    let inValueParsed;
     for (const key in this.filters) {
       if (this.filters[key]) {
         allAllowedKeys.push(...this.allowedFilterKeys[key]);
       }
     }
-    const inValueParsed = JSON.parse(inValue ?? "{}");
+    try {
+      inValueParsed = JSON.parse(inValue ?? "{}");
+    } catch (err) {
+      const error = err as Error;
+      throw new BadRequestException(`Invalid JSON in filter: ${error.message}`);
+    }
     const flattenFilterKeys = Object.keys(flattenObject(inValueParsed));
     const arbitraryObjectFields = [
       "scientificMetadata",
diff --git a/src/datasets/datasets.controller.ts b/src/datasets/datasets.controller.ts
index 84897e79a..69edf24ed 100644
--- a/src/datasets/datasets.controller.ts
+++ b/src/datasets/datasets.controller.ts
@@ -155,6 +155,7 @@ export class DatasetsController {
     headers: Record<string, string>,
     queryFilter: { filter?: string },
   ) {
+    let filters: IFilters<DatasetDocument, IDatasetFields> = {};
     // NOTE: If both headers and query filters are present return error because we don't want to support this scenario.
     if (queryFilter?.filter && (headers?.filter || headers?.where)) {
       throw new HttpException(
@@ -165,24 +166,23 @@ export class DatasetsController {
         },
         HttpStatus.BAD_REQUEST,
       );
-    } else if (queryFilter?.filter) {
-      const jsonQueryFilters: IFilters<DatasetDocument, IDatasetFields> =
-        JSON.parse(queryFilter.filter);
-
-      return jsonQueryFilters;
-    } else if (headers?.filter) {
-      const jsonHeadersFilters: IFilters<DatasetDocument, IDatasetFields> =
-        JSON.parse(headers.filter);
-
-      return jsonHeadersFilters;
-    } else if (headers?.where) {
-      const jsonHeadersWhereFilters: IFilters<DatasetDocument, IDatasetFields> =
-        JSON.parse(headers.where);
-
-      return jsonHeadersWhereFilters;
+    } else {
+      try {
+        if (queryFilter?.filter) {
+          filters = JSON.parse(queryFilter.filter);
+        } else if (headers?.filter) {
+          filters = JSON.parse(headers.filter);
+        } else if (headers?.where) {
+          filters = JSON.parse(headers.where);
+        }
+      } catch (err) {
+        const error = err as Error;
+        throw new BadRequestException(
+          `Invalid JSON in filter: ${error.message}`,
+        );
+      }
     }
-
-    return {};
+    return filters;
   }
 
   updateMergedFiltersForList(
diff --git a/test/DatasetFilter.js b/test/DatasetFilter.js
index b4a3ccaa5..9c8d93b4b 100644
--- a/test/DatasetFilter.js
+++ b/test/DatasetFilter.js
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-/* eslint-disable @typescript-eslint/no-var-requires */
 "use strict";
 
 const utils = require("./LoginUtils");
@@ -96,7 +95,7 @@ describe("0400: DatasetFilter: Test retrieving datasets using filtering capabili
   before(() => {
     db.collection("Dataset").deleteMany({});
   });
-  beforeEach(async() => {
+  beforeEach(async () => {
     accessTokenAdminIngestor = await utils.getToken(appUrl, {
       username: "adminIngestor",
       password: TestData.Accounts["adminIngestor"]["password"],
@@ -792,7 +791,12 @@ describe("0400: DatasetFilter: Test retrieving datasets using filtering capabili
     const fields = {
       mode: {},
       scientific: [
-        { lhs:  "test_field_1", relation: "GREATER_THAN_OR_EQUAL", rhs: 5, unit: "" },
+        {
+          lhs: "test_field_1",
+          relation: "GREATER_THAN_OR_EQUAL",
+          rhs: 5,
+          unit: "",
+        },
       ],
     };
     return request(appUrl)
@@ -814,7 +818,12 @@ describe("0400: DatasetFilter: Test retrieving datasets using filtering capabili
     const fields = {
       mode: {},
       scientific: [
-        { lhs:  "test_field_1", relation: "LESS_THAN_OR_EQUAL", rhs: 6, unit: "" },
+        {
+          lhs: "test_field_1",
+          relation: "LESS_THAN_OR_EQUAL",
+          rhs: 6,
+          unit: "",
+        },
       ],
     };
     return request(appUrl)
@@ -836,7 +845,7 @@ describe("0400: DatasetFilter: Test retrieving datasets using filtering capabili
     const fields = {
       mode: {},
       scientific: [
-        { lhs:  "test_field_1", relation: "RANGE", rhs: [5, 7], unit: "" },
+        { lhs: "test_field_1", relation: "RANGE", rhs: [5, 7], unit: "" },
       ],
     };
     return request(appUrl)
@@ -854,6 +863,24 @@ describe("0400: DatasetFilter: Test retrieving datasets using filtering capabili
       });
   });
 
+  it("0425: Should return informative error on malfored json is passed in filter", async () => {
+    const query = { where: { datasetName: { like: "correct test raw" } } };
+    const malformedJson = JSON.stringify(query).replace("}", "},");
+
+    return request(appUrl)
+      .get(`/api/v3/datasets`)
+      .query({ filter: malformedJson })
+      .auth(accessTokenAdminIngestor, { type: "bearer" })
+      .expect(TestData.BadRequestStatusCode)
+      .expect("Content-Type", /json/)
+      .then((res) => {
+        res.body.should.have
+          .property("message")
+          .and.be.equal(
+            "Invalid JSON in filter: Expected double-quoted property name in JSON at position 52",
+          );
+      });
+  });
   it("0430: should delete dataset 1", async () => {
     return request(appUrl)
       .delete("/api/v3/datasets/" + encodedDatasetPid1)
diff --git a/test/DatasetV4.js b/test/DatasetV4.js
index 4e7af7ef9..5e1337ec5 100644
--- a/test/DatasetV4.js
+++ b/test/DatasetV4.js
@@ -619,6 +619,29 @@ describe("2500: Datasets v4 tests", () => {
         .expect(TestData.BadRequestStatusCode)
         .expect("Content-Type", /json/);
     });
+
+    it("0209: should return informative error on malfored json is passed in filter", async () => {
+      const filter = {
+        limits: {
+          limit: 1,
+        },
+      };
+      const malformedJson = JSON.stringify(filter).replace("}", "},");
+      
+      return request(appUrl)
+        .get(`/api/v4/datasets`)
+        .query({ filter: malformedJson })
+        .auth(accessTokenAdminIngestor, { type: "bearer" })
+        .expect(TestData.BadRequestStatusCode)
+        .expect("Content-Type", /json/)
+        .then((res) => {
+          res.body.should.have
+            .property("message")
+            .and.be.equal(
+              "Invalid JSON in filter: Expected double-quoted property name in JSON at position 22",
+            );
+        });
+    });
   });
 
   describe("Datasets v4 findOne tests", () => {