diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 512a5e1..c66ceac 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,2 +1,4 @@
 dist/
 /**/__pycache__/
+
+.*sw*
diff --git a/latch_data_validation/data_validation.py b/latch_data_validation/data_validation.py
index 0f76169..e154491 100644
--- a/latch_data_validation/data_validation.py
+++ b/latch_data_validation/data_validation.py
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 import collections.abc
 import dataclasses
+import sys
+import typing
 from enum import Enum
 from itertools import chain
-import sys
 from types import FrameType, NoneType, UnionType
 from typing import (
     Any,
@@ -19,7 +20,6 @@
     get_origin,
     get_type_hints,
 )
-import typing
 
 from opentelemetry.trace import get_tracer
 
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ def explain(self, indent: str = ""):
 
         pretty_msg = prettify(
             self.msg,
-            add_colon=True
+            add_colon=True,
             # add_colon=len(self.children) > 0 or len(self.details) > 0
         )
         res = f"{indent}{pretty_msg}\n"
@@ -196,7 +196,8 @@ def untraced_validate(x: JsonValue, cls: type[T]) -> T:
         for f in dataclasses.fields(cls):
             schema_fields.add(f.name)
             if f.name not in x:
-                missing_class_fields.append(f)
+                if get_origin(f.type) != Union and NoneType not in get_args(f.type):
+                    missing_class_fields.append(f)
                 continue
 
             try:
@@ -459,7 +460,6 @@ def untraced_validate(x: JsonValue, cls: type[T]) -> T:
     raise DataValidationError("[!Internal Error!] unknown type", x, cls)
 
 
-
 def validate(x: JsonValue, cls: type[T]) -> T:
     with tracer.start_as_current_span(
         validate.__qualname__,