Court Opinion

ID: 4507244
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2020-02-13 17:02:09.065084+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:46:49.590614
License: Public Domain

In the United States Court of Federal Claims
                                  OFFICE OF SPECIAL MASTERS
                                          No. 18-1812V
                                         UNPUBLISHED

    DARRELL W. MORGAN,                                        Chief Special Master Corcoran

                         Petitioner,                          Filed: January 10, 2020
    v.
                                                              Special Processing Unit (SPU);
    SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND                                   Ruling on Entitlement; Concession;
    HUMAN SERVICES,                                           Table Injury; Influenza (Flu) Vaccine;
                                                              Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS)
                        Respondent.

Anne Carrion Toale, Maglio Christopher & Toale, PA, Sarasota, FL, for petitioner.

Alexis B. Babcock, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC, for respondent.

                                     RULING ON ENTITLEMENT1

        On November 26, 2018, Darrell W. Morgan 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 he suffered Guillain-Barré syndrome
(“GBS”) as a result of an influenza (“flu”) vaccine he received on November 17, 2017.
Petition at 1-2. The case was assigned to the Special Processing Unit of the Office of
Special Masters.

       On January 10, 2020, Respondent filed his Rule 4(c) report in which he
concedes that Petitioner is entitled to compensation in this case. Respondent’s Rule
4(c) Report at 1. Specifically, Respondent states “that petitioner has satisfied the

1
  Because this unpublished ruling contains a reasoned explanation for the action in this case, I am
required 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). This means the ruling will be available to anyone with access to
the internet. 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, I agree that the identified material fits within this definition, I 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).
criteria set forth in the recently revised Vaccine Injury Table (Table) and the
Qualifications and Aids to Interpretation (QAI), which afford petitioner a presumption of
causation if the onset of GBS occurs between three and forty-two days after a seasonal
flu vaccination and there is no apparent alternative cause.” Id. at 8.

       In view of Respondent’s position and the evidence of record, I find that
Petitioner is entitled to compensation.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

                                  s/Brian H. Corcoran
                                  Brian H. Corcoran
                                  Chief Special Master

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