diff --git a/src/main/java/seedu/address/model/util/SampleDataUtil.java b/src/main/java/seedu/address/model/util/SampleDataUtil.java
index 02c4204199df..aea96bfb31f3 100644
--- a/src/main/java/seedu/address/model/util/SampleDataUtil.java
+++ b/src/main/java/seedu/address/model/util/SampleDataUtil.java
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
 import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.Set;
 
-import seedu.address.commons.exceptions.IllegalValueException;
 import seedu.address.model.AddressBook;
 import seedu.address.model.ReadOnlyAddressBook;
 import seedu.address.model.person.Address;
@@ -19,30 +18,26 @@
  */
 public class SampleDataUtil {
     public static Person[] getSamplePersons() {
-        try {
-            return new Person[] {
-                new Person(new Name("Alex Yeoh"), new Phone("87438807"), new Email("alexyeoh@example.com"),
-                    new Address("Blk 30 Geylang Street 29, #06-40"),
-                    getTagSet("friends")),
-                new Person(new Name("Bernice Yu"), new Phone("99272758"), new Email("berniceyu@example.com"),
-                    new Address("Blk 30 Lorong 3 Serangoon Gardens, #07-18"),
-                    getTagSet("colleagues", "friends")),
-                new Person(new Name("Charlotte Oliveiro"), new Phone("93210283"), new Email("charlotte@example.com"),
-                    new Address("Blk 11 Ang Mo Kio Street 74, #11-04"),
-                    getTagSet("neighbours")),
-                new Person(new Name("David Li"), new Phone("91031282"), new Email("lidavid@example.com"),
-                    new Address("Blk 436 Serangoon Gardens Street 26, #16-43"),
-                    getTagSet("family")),
-                new Person(new Name("Irfan Ibrahim"), new Phone("92492021"), new Email("irfan@example.com"),
-                    new Address("Blk 47 Tampines Street 20, #17-35"),
-                    getTagSet("classmates")),
-                new Person(new Name("Roy Balakrishnan"), new Phone("92624417"), new Email("royb@example.com"),
-                    new Address("Blk 45 Aljunied Street 85, #11-31"),
-                    getTagSet("colleagues"))
-            };
-        } catch (IllegalValueException e) {
-            throw new AssertionError("sample data cannot be invalid", e);
-        }
+        return new Person[] {
+            new Person(new Name("Alex Yeoh"), new Phone("87438807"), new Email("alexyeoh@example.com"),
+                new Address("Blk 30 Geylang Street 29, #06-40"),
+                getTagSet("friends")),
+            new Person(new Name("Bernice Yu"), new Phone("99272758"), new Email("berniceyu@example.com"),
+                new Address("Blk 30 Lorong 3 Serangoon Gardens, #07-18"),
+                getTagSet("colleagues", "friends")),
+            new Person(new Name("Charlotte Oliveiro"), new Phone("93210283"), new Email("charlotte@example.com"),
+                new Address("Blk 11 Ang Mo Kio Street 74, #11-04"),
+                getTagSet("neighbours")),
+            new Person(new Name("David Li"), new Phone("91031282"), new Email("lidavid@example.com"),
+                new Address("Blk 436 Serangoon Gardens Street 26, #16-43"),
+                getTagSet("family")),
+            new Person(new Name("Irfan Ibrahim"), new Phone("92492021"), new Email("irfan@example.com"),
+                new Address("Blk 47 Tampines Street 20, #17-35"),
+                getTagSet("classmates")),
+            new Person(new Name("Roy Balakrishnan"), new Phone("92624417"), new Email("royb@example.com"),
+                new Address("Blk 45 Aljunied Street 85, #11-31"),
+                getTagSet("colleagues"))
+        };
     }
 
     public static ReadOnlyAddressBook getSampleAddressBook() {
@@ -60,7 +55,7 @@ public static ReadOnlyAddressBook getSampleAddressBook() {
     /**
      * Returns a tag set containing the list of strings given.
      */
-    public static Set<Tag> getTagSet(String... strings) throws IllegalValueException {
+    public static Set<Tag> getTagSet(String... strings) {
         HashSet<Tag> tags = new HashSet<>();
         for (String s : strings) {
             tags.add(new Tag(s));
diff --git a/src/test/java/seedu/address/testutil/PersonBuilder.java b/src/test/java/seedu/address/testutil/PersonBuilder.java
index fe55a33702f7..4a2095046b88 100644
--- a/src/test/java/seedu/address/testutil/PersonBuilder.java
+++ b/src/test/java/seedu/address/testutil/PersonBuilder.java
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 
 import java.util.Set;
 
-import seedu.address.commons.exceptions.IllegalValueException;
 import seedu.address.model.person.Address;
 import seedu.address.model.person.Email;
 import seedu.address.model.person.Name;
@@ -26,16 +25,12 @@ public class PersonBuilder {
     private Person person;
 
     public PersonBuilder() {
-        try {
-            Name defaultName = new Name(DEFAULT_NAME);
-            Phone defaultPhone = new Phone(DEFAULT_PHONE);
-            Email defaultEmail = new Email(DEFAULT_EMAIL);
-            Address defaultAddress = new Address(DEFAULT_ADDRESS);
-            Set<Tag> defaultTags = SampleDataUtil.getTagSet(DEFAULT_TAGS);
-            this.person = new Person(defaultName, defaultPhone, defaultEmail, defaultAddress, defaultTags);
-        } catch (IllegalValueException ive) {
-            throw new AssertionError("Default person's values are invalid.");
-        }
+        Name defaultName = new Name(DEFAULT_NAME);
+        Phone defaultPhone = new Phone(DEFAULT_PHONE);
+        Email defaultEmail = new Email(DEFAULT_EMAIL);
+        Address defaultAddress = new Address(DEFAULT_ADDRESS);
+        Set<Tag> defaultTags = SampleDataUtil.getTagSet(DEFAULT_TAGS);
+        this.person = new Person(defaultName, defaultPhone, defaultEmail, defaultAddress, defaultTags);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -57,11 +52,7 @@ public PersonBuilder withName(String name) {
      * Parses the {@code tags} into a {@code Set<Tag>} and set it to the {@code Person} that we are building.
      */
     public PersonBuilder withTags(String ... tags) {
-        try {
-            this.person.setTags(SampleDataUtil.getTagSet(tags));
-        } catch (IllegalValueException ive) {
-            throw new IllegalArgumentException("tags are expected to be unique.");
-        }
+        this.person.setTags(SampleDataUtil.getTagSet(tags));
         return this;
     }