{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00631","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00631-1","petitioner_identifier":"Walter J. Orton, III","is_minor":0,"age_at_vaccination":84.0,"age_unit_raw":"years","vaccine_type":"influenza","vaccination_date":"2011-10-03","condition_raw":"Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS)","condition_category":"GBS","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"denied","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2015-10-22","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-04-30T04:40:20.667223+00:00","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":1,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":1,"theory_of_causation":"Petitioner alleged that an October 3, 2011, influenza vaccine caused Walter J. Orton, III, an 84-year-old man, to develop Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), leading to his death on October 23, 2011. The claim was an off-Table claim. Petitioner submitted the case for a decision on the record without an expert report, failing to proffer a reliable medical theory connecting the vaccine to GBS, a logical sequence of cause and effect, or a medically appropriate timeframe. Treating physicians noted a temporal relationship but did not provide a causal opinion. Respondent argued the petitioner failed to meet the burden of proof. Special Master Thomas L. Gowen denied compensation on February 23, 2015, finding the petitioner did not meet the Althen criteria. Petitioner's counsel was Diana Stadelnikas Sedar, and respondent's counsel was Gordon E. Shemin. Attorneys' fees and costs totaling $29,000.00 were awarded on October 22, 2015.","is_death":1,"date_of_death":"2011-10-23","petition_filed_date":"2015-02-23","case_summary":"Douglas Orton, as personal representative of the estate of Walter J. Orton, III, filed a petition on February 23, 2015, alleging that Walter J. Orton, III, an 84-year-old man, received an influenza vaccine on October 3, 2011, and subsequently developed Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), which led to his death on October 23, 2011. The petition stated that Mr. Orton experienced symptoms of numbness, tingling in his fingertips, and an unsteady gait within three days of the vaccination, progressing rapidly to respiratory arrest and death. The death certificate listed GBS as a contributing condition. The case was brought as an off-Table claim, requiring proof of causation under the Althen criteria. Petitioner submitted the case for a decision on the record without an expert report, stating that after analysis, he would not be filing one. Respondent argued that the petitioner failed to meet the burden of proof for causation. Special Master Thomas L. Gowen found that the petitioner did not establish a reliable medical theory of causation, a logical sequence of cause and effect, or a medically appropriate timeframe for the onset of GBS following the vaccination. The Special Master noted that while treating physicians observed a temporal relationship between the vaccination and the onset of symptoms, they did not provide a causal opinion. Consequently, the petition was denied on February 23, 2015. Subsequently, on September 18, 2015, the parties filed a joint stipulation for attorneys' fees and costs. The Special Master granted this stipulation, awarding $21,000.00 in attorneys' fees and costs jointly payable to petitioner and his attorney, Diana Stadelnikas Sedar of Maglio Christopher & Toale, and $8,000.00 payable to petitioner, Douglas Orton, only. The decision on fees and costs was issued on October 22, 2015.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":0,"special_master":"Thomas L. Gowen","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":null,"petitioner_attorney_name":"Diana Stadelnikas Sedar","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Maglio Christopher & Toale, PA","petitioner_attorney_location":"Sarasota, FL","adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":null,"attorney_canonical_keys":"|diana-sedar|","firm_canonical_key":"maglio-christopher-and-toale","package_title":"ORTON et al v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00631","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00631.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00631.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00631-0","title":"ORTON et al v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 02/23/2015) regarding 27 DECISION of Special Master (Signed by Special Master Thomas L. Gowen.)(mpj) Copy to parties.","date_issued":"2015-03-18","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00631/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00631-0/pdf","pdf_bytes":325429,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"docketText matches keep keyword 'decision of special master'","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00631/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00631-0"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00631-1","title":"ORTON et al v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 09/21/2015) regarding 32 DECISION Fees Stipulation/Proffer ( Signed by Special Master Thomas L. Gowen.)(mpj) Copy to parties.","date_issued":"2015-10-22","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00631/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00631-1/pdf","pdf_bytes":246325,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"docketText matches keep keyword 'stipulation'","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00631/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00631-1"}]}