Matthew D. Vacca, Respondent/Cross-Appellant v. Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Division of Workers' Compensation, and Brian May, Appellants/Cross-Respondents.

**Worker Wins Retaliation Case But Loses Future Pay Award Due to Contradictory Claims** Matthew Vacca, who worked for Missouri's Workers' Compensation Division, sued his employer claiming they retaliated against him, discriminated against him, and failed to accommodate his disability. The case went to trial and a jury sided with Vacca, awarding him money for future lost wages. However, the Missouri Supreme Court overturned part of that jury award. The court found that Vacca had made contradictory statements about his ability to work. In his lawsuit, he claimed his disability prevented him from working at all. But in other legal proceedings, he had argued he could continue working as an administrative law judge for another 20 years. The court ruled this contradiction meant he couldn't collect future lost wages through a legal principle called "judicial estoppel," which prevents people from making opposing claims in different court cases. The court sent the case back to determine if Vacca could receive other types of damages not affected by this contradiction issue. **What this means for workers:** While this case shows that retaliation and discrimination claims can succeed, workers must be consistent in their statements across all legal proceedings. Contradicting yourself about your work abilities in different cases can hurt your chances of recovering certain damages.