Court Opinion

ID: 4539956
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2020-06-09 12:02:30.144687+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:45:11.040458
License: Public Domain

In the United States Court of Federal Claims
                                  OFFICE OF SPECIAL MASTERS
                                          No. 19-298V
                                         UNPUBLISHED

    SONYA SIMS-CALDWELL,                                      Chief Special Master Corcoran

                         Petitioner,                          Filed: May 7, 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.

Althea Walker Davis, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC, for respondent.

                                     RULING ON ENTITLEMENT1

        On February 25, 2019, Sonya Sims-Caldwell 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 Guillain-Barre Syndrome
(“GBS”) as a result of an influenza (“flu”) vaccine administered on November 24, 2017.
Petition at 1, 3, 5. The case was assigned to the Special Processing Unit of the Office
of Special Masters.

       On May 4, 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 concludes that “petitioner suffered the Table injury of GBS

1 Because this unpublished ruling contains a reasoned explanation for the action in this case, I am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.

2National 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).
following a flu vaccine within the Table time period, and there is not a preponderance of
the medical evidence that petitioner’s GBS was due to a factor unrelated to the
vaccination.” Id. at 9. Respondent agrees that the “claim also meets the statutory
severity requirement as petitioner’s medical records show that she experienced
sequelae of her GBS for more than six months.” Id.

       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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