diff --git a/kork-retrofit/src/main/java/com/netflix/spinnaker/kork/retrofit/exceptions/SpinnakerHttpException.java b/kork-retrofit/src/main/java/com/netflix/spinnaker/kork/retrofit/exceptions/SpinnakerHttpException.java
index 0fcd2b8c1..85c8545c3 100644
--- a/kork-retrofit/src/main/java/com/netflix/spinnaker/kork/retrofit/exceptions/SpinnakerHttpException.java
+++ b/kork-retrofit/src/main/java/com/netflix/spinnaker/kork/retrofit/exceptions/SpinnakerHttpException.java
@@ -103,9 +103,6 @@ public SpinnakerHttpException(String message, SpinnakerHttpException cause) {
    * with {@link com.netflix.spinnaker.kork.retrofit.ErrorHandlingExecutorCallAdapterFactory}.
    */
   public <T> SpinnakerHttpException(retrofit2.Response<T> syncResp, retrofit2.Retrofit retrofit) {
-    super(
-        syncResp.code() + " " + syncResp.message(),
-        new Throwable(syncResp.code() + " " + syncResp.message()));
     this.retrofit2Response = syncResp;
     this.response = null;
     this.retrofit = retrofit;
@@ -153,7 +150,9 @@ public String getMessage() {
     // always returns something whether there's a specified message or not, so
     // look at getRawMessage instead.
     if (getRawMessage() == null) {
-      return super.getMessage();
+      if (super.getMessage() != null) {
+        return super.getMessage();
+      }
     }
 
     if (retrofit2Response != null) {
diff --git a/kork-retrofit/src/main/java/com/netflix/spinnaker/kork/retrofit/exceptions/SpinnakerServerException.java b/kork-retrofit/src/main/java/com/netflix/spinnaker/kork/retrofit/exceptions/SpinnakerServerException.java
index f789df742..654c164aa 100644
--- a/kork-retrofit/src/main/java/com/netflix/spinnaker/kork/retrofit/exceptions/SpinnakerServerException.java
+++ b/kork-retrofit/src/main/java/com/netflix/spinnaker/kork/retrofit/exceptions/SpinnakerServerException.java
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ public SpinnakerServerException(Throwable cause) {
     super(cause);
   }
 
+  public SpinnakerServerException() {}
+
   @Override
   public SpinnakerServerException newInstance(String message) {
     return new SpinnakerServerException(message, this);