diff --git a/app/models/err.rb b/app/models/err.rb
index ced6661..da3c436 100644
--- a/app/models/err.rb
+++ b/app/models/err.rb
@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@ class Err
   include Mongoid::Document
   include Mongoid::Timestamps
 
-  field :error_class
+  field :error_class, :default => "UnknownError"
   field :component
   field :action
-  field :environment
+  field :environment, :default => "unknown"
   field :fingerprint
 
   belongs_to :problem
@@ -19,8 +19,6 @@ class Err
 
   has_many :notices, :inverse_of => :err, :dependent => :destroy
 
-  validates_presence_of :error_class, :environment
-
   delegate :app, :resolved?, :to => :problem
 
 end
diff --git a/spec/models/err_spec.rb b/spec/models/err_spec.rb
index 55c1cf5..c8ca653 100644
--- a/spec/models/err_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/err_spec.rb
@@ -1,20 +1,10 @@
 require 'spec_helper'
 
 describe Err do
-
-  context 'validations' do
-    it 'requires a error_class' do
-      err = Fabricate.build(:err, :error_class => nil)
-      err.should_not be_valid
-      err.errors[:error_class].should include("can't be blank")
-    end
-
-    it 'requires an environment' do
-      err = Fabricate.build(:err, :environment => nil)
-      err.should_not be_valid
-      err.errors[:environment].should include("can't be blank")
-    end
+  it 'sets a default error_class and environment' do
+    err = Err.new
+    err.error_class.should == "UnknownError"
+    err.environment.should == "unknown"
   end
-
 end
 
--
libgit2 0.21.2