In the United States Court of Federal Claims 

OFFICE OF SPECIAL MASTERS 

No. 17-0001V 

Filed: November 14, 2017 

UNPUBLISHED 

SUSAN NORTH,

 Petitioner,

v.

SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES,

 Respondent.

Special Processing Unit (SPU); Joint 

Stipulation on Damages; 

Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine;

Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine 

Administration (SIRVA)

Ronald Craig Homer, Conway, Homer, P.C., Boston, MA, for petitioner. 

Linda Sara Renzi, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC, for respondent. 

DECISION ON JOINT STIPULATION1

Dorsey, Chief Special Master: 

 On January 3, 2017, petitioner filed a petition for compensation under the 

National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, 42 U.S.C. §300aa-10, et seq.,

2

 (the 

“Vaccine Act”). Petitioner alleges that she suffered a shoulder injury related to vaccine 

administration (“SIRVA”) as a result of receiving a pneumococcal conjugate (“Prevnar”) 

vaccine on October 15, 2015. Petition at 1; Stipulation, filed Nov. 13, 2017, at ¶¶ 1-2, 4. 

Petitioner further alleges that she received a vaccine listed on the Vaccine Injury Table 

in the United States, that she suffered the residual effects of her injury for more than six 

months, and that neither she nor anyone else has filed a lawsuit or accepted a 

settlement or award for her injury alleged to be vaccine caused. Petition at ¶¶ 9-12; 

Stipulation at ¶¶ 3-5. “Respondent denies that the Prevnar vaccine is the cause of 

petitioner’s alleged SIRVA or any other injury, or her current condition.” Stipulation at ¶ 

6. 

 

1

 Because this unpublished decision contains a reasoned explanation for the action in this case, the 

undersigned intends to post it on the United States Court of Federal Claims' website, in accordance with 

the E-Government Act of 2002. 44 U.S.C. § 3501 note (2012) (Federal Management and Promotion of 

Electronic Government Services). In accordance with Vaccine Rule 18(b), petitioner has 14 days to 

identify and move to redact medical or other information, the disclosure of which would constitute an 

unwarranted invasion of privacy. If, upon review, the undersigned agrees that the identified material fits 

within this definition, the undersigned will redact such material from public access. 

2

 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, Pub. L. No. 99-660, 100 Stat. 3755. Hereinafter, for 

ease of citation, all “§” references to the Vaccine Act will be to the pertinent subparagraph of 42 U.S.C. § 

300aa (2012).
2

Nevertheless, on November 13, 2017, the parties filed the attached joint 

stipulation, stating that a decision should be entered awarding compensation. The 

undersigned finds the stipulation reasonable and adopts it as the decision of the Court 

in awarding damages, on the terms set forth therein. 

Pursuant to the terms stated in the attached Stipulation, the undersigned 

awards the following compensation: 

A lump sum of $60,000.00 in the form of a check payable to petitioner. 

Stipulation at ¶ 8. This amount represents compensation for all items of 

damages that would be available under § 15(a). Id. 

The undersigned approves the requested amount for petitioner’s compensation. 

In the absence of a motion for review filed pursuant to RCFC Appendix B, the clerk of 

the court is directed to enter judgment in accordance with this decision.3

IT IS SO ORDERED.

 s/Nora Beth Dorsey 

 Nora Beth Dorsey 

 Chief Special Master 

 

3

 Pursuant to Vaccine Rule 11(a), entry of judgment can be expedited by the parties’ joint filing of notice 

renouncing the right to seek review.