diff --git a/src/validate/Failure.js b/src/validate/Failure.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c46435b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/validate/Failure.js
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+/**
+ * Validation failure
+ *
+ *  Copyright (C) 2016 LoVullo Associates, Inc.
+ *
+ *  This file is part of liza.
+ *
+ *  liza is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ *  it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+ *  the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+ *  (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ *  This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ *  but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ *  MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ *  GNU General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ *  You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ *  along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+
+var Class = require( 'easejs' ).Class,
+    Field = require( '../field/Field' );
+
+
+/**
+ * Represents a field validation failure
+ */
+module.exports = Class( 'Failure',
+{
+    /**
+     * Failure field
+     * @type {Field}
+     */
+    'private _field': null,
+
+    /**
+     * Validation failure reason
+     * @type {string}
+     */
+    'private _reason': '',
+
+    /**
+     * Field that caused the error
+     * @type {?Field}
+     */
+    'private _cause': null,
+
+
+    /**
+     * Create failure with optional reason and cause
+     *
+     * The field FIELD is the target of the failure, which might have
+     * been caused by another field CAUSE.  If cause is omitted, it is
+     * assumed to be FIELD.  The string REASON describes the failure.
+     *
+     * @param {Field}   field  failed field
+     * @param {string=} reason description of failure
+     * @param {Field=}  cause  field that triggered the failure
+     */
+    __construct: function( field, reason, cause )
+    {
+        if ( !Class.isA( Field, field ) )
+        {
+            throw TypeError( "Field expected" );
+        }
+
+        if ( ( cause !== undefined ) && !Class.isA( Field, cause ) )
+        {
+            throw TypeError( "Field expected for cause" );
+        }
+
+        this._field  = field;
+        this._reason = ( reason === undefined ) ? '' : ''+reason;
+        this._cause  = cause || field;
+    },
+
+
+    /**
+     * Retrieve target of the failure
+     *
+     * @return {Field} target field
+     */
+    'public getField': function()
+    {
+        return this._field;
+    },
+
+
+    /**
+     * Retrieve a description of the failure, or the empty string
+     *
+     * @return {string} failure description
+     */
+    'public getReason': function()
+    {
+        return this._reason;
+    },
+
+
+    /**
+     * Retrieve field that caused the failure
+     *
+     * Unless a separate cause was provided during instantiation, the
+     * failure is assumed to have been caused by the target field itself.
+     *
+     * @return {Field} cause of failure
+     */
+    'public getCause': function()
+    {
+        return this._cause;
+    },
+
+
+    /**
+     * Produce failure reason when converted to a string
+     *
+     * This allows the failure to be used in place of the traditional system
+     * of error strings.
+     *
+     * @return {string}
+     */
+    __toString: function()
+    {
+        return this._reason;
+    }
+} );
diff --git a/test/validate/FailureTest.js b/test/validate/FailureTest.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e9abd3f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/validate/FailureTest.js
@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+/**
+ * Test validation failure
+ *
+ *  Copyright (C) 2016 LoVullo Associates, Inc.
+ *
+ *  This file is part of liza.
+ *
+ *  liza is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ *  it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+ *  the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+ *  (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ *  This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ *  but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ *  MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ *  GNU General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ *  You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ *  along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+
+var root   = require( '../../' ),
+    Sut    = root.validate.Failure,
+    expect = require( 'chai' ).expect;
+
+var DummyField = require( 'easejs' ).Class
+    .implement( root.field.Field )
+    .extend(
+{
+    getName: function() {},
+    getIndex: function() {},
+} );
+
+
+describe( 'Failure', function()
+{
+    it( 'throws error when not given Field for failure', function()
+    {
+        expect( function()
+        {
+            Sut( {} );
+        } ).to.throw( TypeError );
+    } );
+
+
+    it( 'throws error when not given a Field for cause', function()
+    {
+        expect( function()
+        {
+            Sut( DummyField(), '', {} );
+        } ).to.throw( TypeError );
+    } );
+
+
+    describe( '#getField', function()
+    {
+        it( 'returns original field', function()
+        {
+            var field = DummyField();
+
+            expect( Sut( field ).getField() )
+                .to.equal( field );
+        } );
+    } );
+
+
+    describe( '#getReason', function()
+    {
+        it( 'returns original failure reason', function()
+        {
+            var reason = 'solar flares';
+
+            expect( Sut( DummyField(), reason ).getReason() )
+                .to.equal( reason );
+        } );
+
+
+        it( 'returns empty string by default', function()
+        {
+            expect( Sut( DummyField() ).getReason() )
+                .to.equal( '' );
+        } );
+    } );
+
+
+    describe( '#getCause', function()
+    {
+        it( 'returns original cause field', function()
+        {
+            var cause = DummyField();
+
+            expect( Sut( DummyField(), '', cause ).getCause() )
+                .to.equal( cause );
+        } );
+
+
+        // in other words: field caused itself to fail
+        it( 'returns field by default', function()
+        {
+            var field = DummyField();
+
+            expect( Sut( field ).getCause() )
+                .to.equal( field );
+        } );
+    } );
+
+
+    describe( 'when converted to a string', function()
+    {
+        it( 'produces failure reason', function()
+        {
+            var reason = 'bogons';
+
+            expect( ''+Sut( DummyField(), reason ) )
+                .to.equal( reason );
+        } );
+    } );
+} );