{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00707","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00707-0","petitioner_identifier":"Kodi Rae Stevens","is_minor":1,"age_at_vaccination":13.0,"age_unit_raw":"years","vaccine_type":"hepatitis B","vaccination_date":"2003-04-21","condition_raw":"multiple sclerosis","condition_category":"other","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"dismissed","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2015-06-03","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-04-30T02:44:02.129412+00:00","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":1,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":1,"theory_of_causation":"Kodi Rae Stevens, born in 1990, received a hepatitis B vaccine on April 21, 2003. On April 22, 2003, she experienced numbness in her legs and body aches. On September 22, 2010, she experienced Lhermitte's sign, which she alleged was the first objectively recognizable symptom of her multiple sclerosis (MS). She was diagnosed with MS in November 2011. Ms. Stevens filed her petition on September 20, 2013, alleging the vaccine caused her MS. The Secretary moved to dismiss based on the statute of limitations. Special Master Christian J. Moran granted the motion, finding that the April 22, 2003 symptoms of numbness and body aches were the first objectively recognizable symptoms of MS, triggering the 36-month statute of limitations. The petition was filed over ten years after these initial symptoms, making it untimely. The Special Master relied on Federal Circuit precedent establishing that the statute of limitations accrues from the first objectively recognizable symptom of the injury, even if not immediately recognized as vaccine-related by the medical profession at large. The public decision does not detail the specific mechanism of causation alleged or name medical experts. The case was dismissed as untimely, and no award was made. Petitioner counsel: George William Allen, Jr. Respondent counsel: Alexis B. Babcock. Decision date: June 3, 2015.","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2013-09-20","case_summary":"Kodi Rae Stevens, born in 1990, received a hepatitis B vaccine on April 21, 2003. The day after vaccination, on April 22, 2003, she experienced complete numbness in both legs and generalized body aches. Her mother contacted her pediatrician about these symptoms on April 24, 2003, but no further action was indicated in the record. The public decision does not describe any medical records or actions taken between 2003 and 2010 that are relevant to the timeliness of the petition. On September 22, 2010, Ms. Stevens experienced vaginal numbness, shortness of breath, and tingling down her spine upon bending her neck, which is known as Lhermitte's sign. She stated that these symptoms constituted the first objectively recognizable sign of her multiple sclerosis (MS). She was diagnosed with MS in November 2011, following brain and spinal MRIs that showed white matter disease and areas of active demyelination, findings compatible with MS. Ms. Stevens filed her petition for compensation on September 20, 2013, alleging that her MS was caused by the hepatitis B vaccine. The Secretary of Health and Human Services moved to dismiss the case, arguing it was filed outside the Vaccine Act's statute of limitations. Ms. Stevens argued that the Lhermitte's sign in 2010 was the first symptom triggering the statute of limitations, or alternatively, that the 2003 symptoms were not medically recognizable as MS at the time. The Special Master, Christian J. Moran, found that the numbness and body aches experienced in 2003 were the first objectively recognizable symptoms of MS, triggering the statute of limitations. The Special Master relied on Federal Circuit precedent in Markovich, Cloer, and Carson, which hold that the statute of limitations begins to run on the date of the first symptom or manifestation of onset, regardless of whether the medical profession at large recognized it as a vaccine injury at that exact moment. Since the petition was filed over ten years after the initial symptoms in 2003, the court determined the case was untimely and dismissed it. No compensation was awarded. Petitioner counsel was George William Allen, Jr. Respondent counsel was Alexis B. Babcock.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":1,"special_master":"Christian J. Moran","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":null,"petitioner_attorney_name":"George William Allen, Jr.","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Allen & Knight Law Firm","petitioner_attorney_location":"Fort Lauderdale, FL","adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":null,"attorney_canonical_keys":"|george-allen|","firm_canonical_key":"allen-and-knight","package_title":"STEVENS v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00707","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00707.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00707.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00707-0","title":"STEVENS v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 05/04/2015) regarding 43 DECISION of Special Master. Signed by Special Master Christian J. Moran. (tpj) Copy to parties.","date_issued":"2015-06-03","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00707/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00707-0/pdf","pdf_bytes":229746,"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-00707/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00707-0"}]}