diff --git a/lib/plugins/model.js b/lib/plugins/model.js
index 067f216..b591e2c 100644
--- a/lib/plugins/model.js
+++ b/lib/plugins/model.js
@@ -208,8 +208,8 @@ function findModelDefinitions(rootDir, sources) {
 }
 
 function loadModelDefinition(rootDir, jsonFile, allFiles) {
+  var definition = loadConfig(jsonFile);
   var basename = path.basename(jsonFile, path.extname(jsonFile));
-  var definition = loadConfig(basename);
   definition.name = definition.name || _.upperFirst(_.camelCase(basename));
 
   // find a matching file with a supported extension like `.js` or `.coffee`