diff --git a/src/main/java/org/opentest4j/AssertionFailedException.java b/src/main/java/org/opentest4j/AssertionFailedException.java
index 59836af..58f4c1f 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/opentest4j/AssertionFailedException.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/opentest4j/AssertionFailedException.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 package org.opentest4j;
 
 import org.opentest4j.debug.DebugInformation;
+import org.opentest4j.debug.DebuggableObject;
 
 /**
  * <p>
@@ -35,39 +36,54 @@
  * @author Mark Michaelis
  * @since 1.0
  */
-public class AssertionFailedException extends DebuggableException {
+public class AssertionFailedException extends AssertionError implements DebuggableObject {
 
 	private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
+	private final DebugInformation debugInformation;
 
 	public AssertionFailedException() {
+		this((DebugInformation) null);
 	}
 
 	public AssertionFailedException(String message) {
-		super(message);
+		this(message, (DebugInformation) null);
 	}
 
 	public AssertionFailedException(String message, Throwable cause) {
-		super(message, cause);
+		this(message, null, cause);
 	}
 
 	public AssertionFailedException(Throwable cause) {
-		super(cause);
+		this((DebugInformation) null, cause);
 	}
 
 	public AssertionFailedException(DebugInformation debugInformation) {
-		super(debugInformation);
+		this.debugInformation = debugInformation;
 	}
 
 	public AssertionFailedException(String message, DebugInformation debugInformation) {
-		super(message, debugInformation);
+		super(message);
+		this.debugInformation = debugInformation;
 	}
 
 	public AssertionFailedException(String message, DebugInformation debugInformation, Throwable cause) {
-		super(message, debugInformation, cause);
+		super(message);
+		this.initCause(cause);
+		this.debugInformation = debugInformation;
 	}
 
 	public AssertionFailedException(DebugInformation debugInformation, Throwable cause) {
-		super(debugInformation, cause);
+		super(cause);
+		this.debugInformation = debugInformation;
+	}
+
+	@Override
+	public DebugInformation getDebugInformation() {
+		return this.debugInformation;
 	}
 
+	@Override
+	public boolean hasDebugInformation() {
+		return this.debugInformation != null;
+	}
 }
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/opentest4j/ExceptionTestHelper.java b/src/test/java/org/opentest4j/ExceptionTestHelper.java
index 5483895..dc97fea 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/opentest4j/ExceptionTestHelper.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/opentest4j/ExceptionTestHelper.java
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ public static void assertBehavesLikeStandardException(Class<? extends Throwable>
 		assertMessageCauseConstructorBehavesAsExpected(exceptionClass);
 	}
 
-	public static void assertBehavesLikeDebuggableException(Class<? extends DebuggableException> exceptionClass)
+	public static void assertBehavesLikeDebuggableException(Class<? extends Throwable> exceptionClass)
 			throws Exception {
 		assertBehavesLikeStandardException(exceptionClass);
 
@@ -126,22 +126,24 @@ private static void assertMessageCauseConstructorBehavesAsExpected(Class<? exten
 	//------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 	private static void assertOnlyDebugInformationConstructorBehavesAsExpected(
-			Class<? extends DebuggableException> exceptionClass) throws Exception {
-		DebuggableException exceptionInstance = exceptionClass.getConstructor(DebugInformation.class).newInstance(
+			Class<? extends Throwable> exceptionClass) throws Exception {
+		Throwable exceptionInstance = exceptionClass.getConstructor(DebugInformation.class).newInstance(
 			DEBUG_INFORMATION_REFERENCE);
 
 		assertExceptionSimilarTo("only debuginformation", EXCEPTION_REFERENCE_NO_ARG, exceptionInstance);
 		assertCanInitCause(exceptionInstance);
-		assertTrue("hasDebugInformation", exceptionInstance.hasDebugInformation());
-		assertSame("debugInformation", DEBUG_INFORMATION_REFERENCE, exceptionInstance.getDebugInformation());
+		assertTrue("instance of DebuggableObject", exceptionInstance instanceof DebuggableObject);
+		DebuggableObject debuggableObject = (DebuggableObject) exceptionInstance;
+		assertTrue("hasDebugInformation", debuggableObject.hasDebugInformation());
+		assertSame("debugInformation", DEBUG_INFORMATION_REFERENCE, debuggableObject.getDebugInformation());
 
-		DebuggableException deserializedInstance = exceptionClass.cast(
+		Throwable deserializedInstance = exceptionClass.cast(
 			TestSerializationHelper.serializeAndDeserialize(exceptionInstance));
 		assertExceptionEqualTo("serialization", exceptionInstance, deserializedInstance);
-		assertHaveEqualDebugInformation(exceptionInstance, deserializedInstance);
+		assertHaveEqualDebugInformation((DebuggableObject) exceptionInstance, (DebuggableObject) deserializedInstance);
 	}
 
-	private static <T extends DebuggableException> void assertDebugInformationCauseConstructorBehavesAsExpected(
+	private static <T extends Throwable> void assertDebugInformationCauseConstructorBehavesAsExpected(
 			Class<T> exceptionClass) throws Exception {
 		T exceptionInstance = exceptionClass.getConstructor(DebugInformation.class, Throwable.class).newInstance(
 			DEBUG_INFORMATION_REFERENCE, CAUSE_EXCEPTION);
@@ -152,10 +154,10 @@ private static <T extends DebuggableException> void assertDebugInformationCauseC
 		T deserializedInstance = exceptionClass.cast(
 			TestSerializationHelper.serializeAndDeserialize(exceptionInstance));
 		assertExceptionEqualTo("serialization", exceptionInstance, deserializedInstance);
-		assertHaveEqualDebugInformation(exceptionInstance, deserializedInstance);
+		assertHaveEqualDebugInformation((DebuggableObject) exceptionInstance, (DebuggableObject) deserializedInstance);
 	}
 
-	private static <T extends DebuggableException> void assertMessageDebugInformationConstructorBehavesAsExpected(
+	private static <T extends Throwable> void assertMessageDebugInformationConstructorBehavesAsExpected(
 			Class<T> exceptionClass) throws Exception {
 		T exceptionInstance = exceptionClass.getConstructor(String.class, DebugInformation.class).newInstance(
 			MESSAGE_REFERENCE, DEBUG_INFORMATION_REFERENCE);
@@ -166,10 +168,10 @@ private static <T extends DebuggableException> void assertMessageDebugInformatio
 		T deserializedInstance = exceptionClass.cast(
 			TestSerializationHelper.serializeAndDeserialize(exceptionInstance));
 		assertExceptionEqualTo("serialization", exceptionInstance, deserializedInstance);
-		assertHaveEqualDebugInformation(exceptionInstance, deserializedInstance);
+		assertHaveEqualDebugInformation((DebuggableObject) exceptionInstance, (DebuggableObject) deserializedInstance);
 	}
 
-	private static <T extends DebuggableException> void assertMessageDebugInformationCauseConstructorBehavesAsExpected(
+	private static <T extends Throwable> void assertMessageDebugInformationCauseConstructorBehavesAsExpected(
 			Class<T> exceptionClass) throws Exception {
 		T exceptionInstance = exceptionClass.getConstructor(String.class, DebugInformation.class,
 			Throwable.class).newInstance(MESSAGE_REFERENCE, DEBUG_INFORMATION_REFERENCE, CAUSE_EXCEPTION);
@@ -181,7 +183,7 @@ private static <T extends DebuggableException> void assertMessageDebugInformatio
 		T deserializedInstance = exceptionClass.cast(
 			TestSerializationHelper.serializeAndDeserialize(exceptionInstance));
 		assertExceptionEqualTo("serialization", exceptionInstance, deserializedInstance);
-		assertHaveEqualDebugInformation(exceptionInstance, deserializedInstance);
+		assertHaveEqualDebugInformation((DebuggableObject) exceptionInstance, (DebuggableObject) deserializedInstance);
 	}
 
 	//</editor-fold>