Does this class have an association where the cascade type is also set to merge?
Quote:
merge
public Object merge(String entityName,
Object object)
throws HibernateException
Copy the state of the given object onto the persistent object with the same identifier. If there is no persistent instance currently associated with the session, it will be loaded. Return the persistent instance. If the given instance is unsaved, save a copy of and return it as a newly persistent instance. The given instance does not become associated with the session. This operation cascades to associated instances if the association is mapped with cascade="merge".
The semantics of this method are defined by JSR-220.
JavaDoc for Hibernate Session merge() method.
http://www.hibernate.org/hib_docs/v3/api/org/hibernate/Session.html#merge(java.lang.String,%20java.lang.Object)