{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_10-vv-00377","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_10-vv-00377-cl7218262","petitioner_identifier":"Cason Ford","is_minor":1,"age_at_vaccination":null,"age_unit_raw":"minor (exact age not stated in public review opinion)","vaccine_type":"influenza","vaccination_date":"2009-10-22","condition_raw":"Guillain-Barré Syndrome","condition_category":"GBS","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"unclear","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2012-06-04","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-04-30T14:31:09.232888+00:00","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":2,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":101,"theory_of_causation":"Petitioners Lisa Woods and Jason Ford filed a petition on behalf of their minor son, Cason Ford, alleging that influenza and H1N1 vaccines administered on October 22, 2009, caused Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), diagnosed on February 24, 2010, following symptoms of back pain and leg weakness onset January 31, 2010. The staged opinion did not resolve entitlement or damages. The court reviewed an interim attorneys' fees award granted by the Special Master to Petitioners' former counsel, who had withdrawn due to irreconcilable differences. Judge Mary Ellen Coster Williams held that Special Masters have authority to award interim fees and that the withdrawal of counsel constituted sufficient circumstances. However, the court remanded for further proceedings on whether the claim had a reasonable basis, finding that the Special Master's reliance solely on settlement negotiations was insufficient. The public decision does not describe the specific mechanism of causation, expert testimony, or the medical records and legal theories supporting the claim. The award to former counsel was $15,859.15. Attorneys for Petitioners were Diana L. Stadelnikas and Jennifer Anne Gore Maglio; Respondent's counsel is not named. The decision date was June 4, 2012.","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2010-06-18","case_summary":"Lisa Woods and Jason Ford, on behalf of their son Cason Ford, filed a petition under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act on June 18, 2010. Cason had received influenza and H1N1 immunizations on October 22, 2009. On January 31, 2010, he presented to a hospital emergency room with back pain and leg weakness. A neurologist diagnosed Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) on February 24, 2010. The petition alleged that the flu vaccine caused Cason's GBS and sought compensation for losses, including $250,000 for pain and suffering and reimbursement for Medicaid expenses. Petitioners were initially represented by Diana L. Stadelnikas and Jennifer Anne Gore Maglio. The public decision does not describe the onset of symptoms, specific medical tests performed, or the mechanism of injury. Hundreds of pages of medical records were filed, but the public decision does not indicate that Petitioners retained any experts. Respondent had not yet filed her Rule 4(c) report. The case involved numerous status conferences and filings of medical records between October 2009 and October 2011. Petitioners' counsel filed a Motion for Leave to Withdraw and an Application for Attorneys’ Fees and Costs on October 4, 2011, citing irreconcilable differences with their clients and an inability to contact them. The Special Master granted this motion on October 5, 2011. Petitioners opted to proceed pro se. On December 16, 2011, the Special Master issued a Decision Awarding Interim Attorneys’ Fees and Costs to Former Counsel, awarding $15,859.15. The Special Master found that an interim fee award was authorized because the petition was brought in good faith and had a reasonable basis, and that the withdrawal of counsel constituted a circumstance justifying interim fees. The Special Master noted that the case had been ongoing for one and a half years with an uncertain end, and that delaying payment to counsel who had withdrawn could decrease the effective value of their award. The case continued with Petitioners proceeding pro se, missing status conferences, and receiving orders to show cause for failure to prosecute. Respondent filed a motion for review of the Special Master's interim fee award. Judge Mary Ellen Coster Williams, reviewing the Special Master's decision, held on June 4, 2012, that special masters have the authority to award interim fees under the Vaccine Act, citing Federal Circuit precedent in Avera v. Secretary of Health & Human Services and Shaw v. Secretary of Health & Human Services. The court also found that the withdrawal of Petitioners' counsel due to irreconcilable differences constituted sufficient \"circumstances\" to justify an interim fee award. However, the court remanded the matter to the Special Master to determine whether there was a reasonable basis for Petitioners' claim. The court stated that the Special Master's prior reasoning, which relied solely on the fact that settlement negotiations had occurred, was insufficient. The court emphasized that settlement discussions alone do not establish a reasonable basis for a claim and that the Special Master must analyze the claim itself, including the adequacy of factual allegations, medical records, and legal theories. The court noted that the public record did not indicate the presence of expert testimony, making the assessment of a reasonable basis more difficult. No compensation award was made in the staged opinion, and the merits of Cason Ford's GBS claim remained unresolved.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":1,"special_master":null,"petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":null,"petitioner_attorney_name":"Diana L. Stadelnikas; Jennifer Anne Gore Maglio","petitioner_attorney_firm":null,"petitioner_attorney_location":null,"adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":null,"attorney_canonical_keys":"|diana-stadelnikas|jennifer-maglio|","firm_canonical_key":null,"package_title":"Woods v. Secretary of Health & Human Services","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_10-vv-00377","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_10-vv-00377.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_10-vv-00377.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_10-vv-00377-cl7218262","title":"Woods v. Secretary of Health & Human Services","docket_text":"lead-opinion","date_issued":"2012-06-04","pdf_url":"https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/7300399/woods-v-secretary-of-health-human-services/","pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"recovered via CL opinion 7218262 (html_with_citations)","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_10-vv-00377/USCOURTS-cofc-1_10-vv-00377-cl7218262"}]}