Court Opinion

ID: 4261792
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2018-04-05 20:05:01.111526+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:29:52.576572
License: Public Domain

In the United States Court of Federal Claims
                                 OFFICE OF SPECIAL MASTERS
                                         No. 16-1437V
                                      Filed: June 2, 2017
                                        UNPUBLISHED

****************************
CLARA ALLEVATO,                          *
                                         *
                     Petitioner,         *     Ruling on Entitlement; Concession;
v.                                       *     Pneumococcal conjugate;
                                         *     Shoulder Injury; SIRVA;
SECRETARY OF HEALTH                      *     Special Processing Unit (“SPU”)
AND HUMAN SERVICES,                      *
                                         *
                     Respondent.         *
                                         *
****************************
Jeffrey S. Pop, Jeffrey S. Pop & Associates, Beverly Hills, CA, for petitioner.
Christine Mary Becer, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC, for respondent.

                                    RULING ON ENTITLEMENT 1

Dorsey, Chief Special Master:

      On October 31, 2016, 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 received a Prevnar pneumococcal conjugate
vaccine on November 23, 2015, and thereafter suffered a right shoulder injury that was
caused-in-fact by the vaccine. Petition at 1. The case was assigned to the Special
Processing Unit of the Office of Special Masters.

        On May 24, 2017, 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 “has concluded that a preponderance of evidence establishes
that the injury to petitioner’s right shoulder was caused-in-fact by the administration of
her November 23, 2015 Prevnar vaccine, and that petitioner’s injury is not due to factors
unrelated to the administration of the Prevnar vaccine.” Id. at 3. Respondent further

1 Because this unpublished ruling contains a reasoned explanation for the action in this case, the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

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).
agrees that petitioner suffered sequela of her injury lasting more than six months and
that “her right shoulder injury is compensable as a “caused-in-fact” injury under the
[Vaccine] Act.” Id.

     In view of respondent’s concession and the evidence before me, the
undersigned finds that petitioner is entitled to compensation.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

                                  s/Nora Beth Dorsey
                                  Nora Beth Dorsey
                                  Chief Special Master

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