Court Opinion

ID: 6500012
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2022-07-14 17:01:12.010521+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:16:45.026124
License: Public Domain

In the United States Court of Federal Claims
                                 OFFICE OF SPECIAL MASTERS
                                         No. 21-2059V
                                        UNPUBLISHED

    WILLIAM MALLARD,                                        Chief Special Master Corcoran

                        Petitioner,                         Filed: June 13, 2022
    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.

Celia Farrar Hastings, Greg Coleman Law, PC, Knoxville, TN, for Petitioner.

Sarah Black Rifkin, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC, for Respondent.

                                   RULING ON ENTITLEMENT 1

        On October 22, 2021, William Mallard 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-Barre Syndrome (“GBS”) as a
result of an influenza (“flu”) vaccine administered on October 26, 2018. Petition at 1.
Petitioner further alleges that the vaccination was administered within the United States,
that he has suffered the residual effects of his injury for more than six months, and that
Petitioner has not received compensation in the form of an award or settlement for his
injury. Petition at 1-3. The case was assigned to the Special Processing Unit of the -Office
of Special Masters.

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  Because this unpublished Ruling contains a reasoned explanation for the action in this case, I am required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 section references to the Vaccine Act will be to the pertinent subparagraph of 42 U.S.C. §
300aa (2012).
       On June 6, 2022, 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 concluded that Petitioner has satisfied the criteria set for in the
Vaccine Injury Table and the Qualifications and Aids to Interpretation for GBS following a
flu vaccination. Id. at 7.

       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

                                             2