title: What would cause an Hibernate InvalidStateException
body: <p>I get this error, even though there are no validation constraints in my model class (all of the member variables are set properly but I stil get this exception on object creation). How do I debug this error?</p>
  
  <pre><code>javax.el.ELException: org.hibernate.validator.InvalidStateException: valida
  tion failed for: com.mycompany.model.User
          at org.jboss.el.util.ReflectionUtil.invokeMethod(ReflectionUtil.jav
  a:339)
          at org.jboss.el.util.ReflectionUtil.invokeMethod(ReflectionUtil.jav
  a:280)
          at org.jboss.el.parser.AstMethodSuffix.getValue(AstMethodSuffix.jav
  a:59)
          at org.jboss.el.parser.AstMethodSuffix.invoke(AstMethodSuffix.java:
  65)
          at org.jboss.el.parser.AstValue.invoke(AstValue.java:96)
          at org.jboss.el.MethodExpressionImpl.invoke(MethodExpressionImpl.ja
  va:276)
          at org.jboss.seam.core.Expressions$2.invoke(Expressions.java:175)
          at org.jboss.seam.navigation.Pages.callAction(Pages.java:703)
          at org.jboss.seam.navigation.Pages.preRender(Pages.java:331)
          at org.jboss.seam.jsf.SeamPhaseListener.preRenderPage(SeamPhaseList
  ener.java:561)
          at org.jboss.seam.jsf.SeamPhaseListener.beforeRenderResponse(SeamPh
  aseListener.java:472)
          at org.jboss.seam.jsf.SeamPhaseListener.beforeServletPhase(SeamPhas
  eListener.java:148)
          at org.jboss.seam.jsf.SeamPhaseListener.beforePhase(SeamPhaseListen
  er.java:118)
          at com.sun.faces.lifecycle.Phase.handleBeforePhase(Phase.java:214)
          at com.sun.faces.lifecycle.Phase.doPhase(Phase.java:96)
          at com.sun.faces.lifecycle.LifecycleImpl.render(LifecycleImpl.java:
  139)
          at javax.faces.webapp.FacesServlet.service(FacesServlet.java:266)
          at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter
  (ApplicationFilterChain.java:290)
          at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(Applica
  tionFilterChain.java:206)
          at org.jboss.seam.servlet.SeamFilter$FilterChainImpl.doFilter(SeamF
  ilter.java:83)
          at org.jboss.seam.web.RewriteFilter.doFilter(RewriteFilter.java:63)
  
          at org.jboss.seam.servlet.SeamFilter$FilterChainImpl.doFilter(SeamF
  ilter.java:69)
          at org.jboss.seam.web.IdentityFilter.doFilter(IdentityFilter.java:4
  0)
          at org.jboss.seam.servlet.SeamFilter$FilterChainImpl.doFilter(SeamF
  ilter.java:69)
          at org.jboss.seam.web.MultipartFilter.doFilter(MultipartFilter.java
  :90)
          at org.jboss.seam.servlet.SeamFilter$FilterChainImpl.doFilter(SeamF
  ilter.java:69)
          at org.jboss.seam.web.ExceptionFilter.doFilter(ExceptionFilter.java
  :64)
          at org.jboss.seam.servlet.SeamFilter$FilterChainImpl.doFilter(SeamF
  ilter.java:69)
          at org.jboss.seam.web.RedirectFilter.doFilter(RedirectFilter.java:4
  5)
          at org.jboss.seam.servlet.SeamFilter$FilterChainImpl.doFilter(SeamF
  ilter.java:69)
          at org.jboss.seam.web.CharacterEncodingFilter.doFilter(CharacterEnc
  odingFilter.java:42)
          at org.jboss.seam.servlet.SeamFilter$FilterChainImpl.doFilter(SeamF
  ilter.java:69)
          at org.ajax4jsf.webapp.BaseXMLFilter.doXmlFilter(BaseXMLFilter.java
  :206)
          at org.ajax4jsf.webapp.BaseFilter.handleRequest(BaseFilter.java:290
  )
          at org.ajax4jsf.webapp.BaseFilter.processUploadsAndHandleRequest(Ba
  seFilter.java:388)
          at org.ajax4jsf.webapp.BaseFilter.doFilter(BaseFilter.java:515)
          at org.jboss.seam.web.Ajax4jsfFilter.doFilter(Ajax4jsfFilter.java:5
  6)
          at org.jboss.seam.servlet.SeamFilter$FilterChainImpl.doFilter(SeamF
  ilter.java:69)
          at org.jboss.seam.web.LoggingFilter.doFilter(LoggingFilter.java:60)
  
          at org.jboss.seam.servlet.SeamFilter$FilterChainImpl.doFilter(SeamF
  ilter.java:69)
          at org.jboss.seam.servlet.SeamFilter.doFilter(SeamFilter.java:158)
          at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter
  (ApplicationFilterChain.java:235)
          at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(Applica
  tionFilterChain.java:206)
          at org.jboss.web.tomcat.filters.ReplyHeaderFilter.doFilter(ReplyHea
  derFilter.java:96)
          at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter
  (ApplicationFilterChain.java:235)
          at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(Applica
  tionFilterChain.java:206)
          at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke(StandardWra
  pperValve.java:235)
          at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invoke(StandardCon
  textValve.java:191)
          at org.jboss.web.tomcat.security.SecurityAssociationValve.invoke(Se
  curityAssociationValve.java:190)
          at org.apache.catalina.authenticator.AuthenticatorBase.invoke(Authe
  nticatorBase.java:433)
          at org.jboss.web.tomcat.security.JaccContextValve.invoke(JaccContex
  tValve.java:92)
          at org.jboss.web.tomcat.security.SecurityContextEstablishmentValve.
  process(SecurityContextEstablishmentValve.java:126)
          at org.jboss.web.tomcat.security.SecurityContextEstablishmentValve.
  invoke(SecurityContextEstablishmentValve.java:70)
          at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostValve.invoke(StandardHostVa
  lve.java:127)
          at org.apache.catalina.valves.ErrorReportValve.invoke(ErrorReportVa
  lve.java:102)
          at org.jboss.web.tomcat.service.jca.CachedConnectionValve.invoke(Ca
  chedConnectionValve.java:158)
          at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngineValve.invoke(StandardEngi
  neValve.java:109)
          at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapte
  r.java:330)
          at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Processor.process(Http11Processor
  .java:829)
          at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Protocol$Http11ConnectionHandler.
  process(Http11Protocol.java:598)
          at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.JIoEndpoint$Worker.run(JIoEndpoint.ja
  va:447)
          at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:619)
  Caused by: org.hibernate.validator.InvalidStateException: validation failed
   for: com.mycompany.model.User            at org.hibernate.validator.event.ValidateEventListener.validate(Val
  idateEventListener.java:148)
          at org.hibernate.validator.event.ValidateEventListener.onPreInsert(
  ValidateEventListener.java:172)
          at org.hibernate.action.EntityIdentityInsertAction.preInsert(Entity
  IdentityInsertAction.java:142)
          at org.hibernate.action.EntityIdentityInsertAction.execute(EntityId
  entityInsertAction.java:65)
          at org.hibernate.engine.ActionQueue.execute(ActionQueue.java:279)
          at org.hibernate.event.def.AbstractSaveEventListener.performSaveOrR
  eplicate(AbstractSaveEventListener.java:321)
          at org.hibernate.event.def.AbstractSaveEventListener.performSave(Ab
  stractSaveEventListener.java:204)
          at org.hibernate.event.def.AbstractSaveEventListener.saveWithGenera
  tedId(AbstractSaveEventListener.java:130)
          at org.hibernate.ejb.event.EJB3PersistEventListener.saveWithGenerat
  edId(EJB3PersistEventListener.java:49)
          at org.hibernate.event.def.DefaultPersistEventListener.entityIsTran
  sient(DefaultPersistEventListener.java:154)
          at org.hibernate.event.def.DefaultPersistEventListener.onPersist(De
  faultPersistEventListener.java:110)
          at org.hibernate.event.def.DefaultPersistEventListener.onPersist(De
  faultPersistEventListener.java:61)
          at org.hibernate.impl.SessionImpl.firePersist(SessionImpl.java:645)
  
          at org.hibernate.impl.SessionImpl.persist(SessionImpl.java:619)
          at org.hibernate.impl.SessionImpl.persist(SessionImpl.java:623)
          at org.hibernate.ejb.AbstractEntityManagerImpl.persist(AbstractEnti
  tyManagerImpl.java:220)
          at sun.reflect.GeneratedMethodAccessor454.invoke(Unknown Source)
          at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethod
  AccessorImpl.java:25)
          at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:597)
          at org.jboss.seam.persistence.EntityManagerInvocationHandler.invoke
  (EntityManagerInvocationHandler.java:46)
          at $Proxy550.persist(Unknown Source)
          at org.jboss.seam.framework.EntityHome.persist(EntityHome.java:84)
          at com.mycompany.action.UserHome.persist(
  </code></pre>