{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00948","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00948-0","petitioner_identifier":"Robert T. Mitchell","is_minor":0,"age_at_vaccination":61.7,"age_unit_raw":"years","vaccine_type":"Tenivac","vaccination_date":"2012-10-14","condition_raw":"fever, extreme muscle spasms, vertigo and pervasive myositis","condition_category":"other","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"dismissed","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2017-09-01","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-04-30T00:31:45.419814+00:00","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":1,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":5,"theory_of_causation":"Petitioner Robert T. Mitchell, age 61, received a Tenivac tetanus diphtheria vaccination on October 14, 2012. He alleged this caused fever, extreme muscle spasms, vertigo, and pervasive myositis. The Special Master, Mindy Michaels Roth, dismissed the petition, finding no identifiable injury and no causation. Petitioner's expert, Dr. James Dahlgren, proposed the ASIA (Autoimmune/Inflammatory Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants) theory, specifically Macrophagic Myofasciitis (MMF), caused by aluminum adjuvants in the vaccine. Respondent's experts, Drs. Cetaruk and Whitton, criticized the studies supporting ASIA and MMF, citing methodological flaws and lack of controls. The Special Master found the ASIA theory to be unreliable and not reputable, noting its imprecise diagnostic criteria and rejection in prior cases. The medical records showed that many of petitioner's symptoms predated the vaccination, and complaints of dizziness and vertigo began nearly three months post-vaccination, failing the proximate temporal relationship prong. Furthermore, treating physicians did not diagnose myositis or an autoimmune disease, and petitioner's expert's opinion lacked objective support from medical records or testing, failing the reputable medical theory and logical sequence of cause and effect prongs. The petition was dismissed for failure to prove an off-Table claim. Petitioner was represented by Randall G. Knutson, Esq., and respondent by Glenn A. MacLeod, Esq. Decision date: September 1, 2017.","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2013-12-03","case_summary":"On December 3, 2013, Robert T. Mitchell filed a petition under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, alleging that the Tenivac tetanus diphtheria vaccination he received on October 14, 2012, caused him to suffer from fever, extreme muscle spasms, vertigo, and pervasive myositis. Mr. Mitchell was 61 years old at the time of vaccination. The respondent, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, contested the claim. The Special Master, Mindy Michaels Roth, issued a decision denying entitlement and dismissing the petition. The Special Master found that Mr. Mitchell failed to prove he suffered an identifiable injury and that the vaccination caused his alleged conditions. The decision noted that many of Mr. Mitchell's symptoms, including back and neck pain, muscle spasms, and fatigue, predated the vaccination. His complaints of dizziness and vertigo began nearly three months after the vaccination. The medical records did not show that any physician diagnosed him with myositis or any autoimmune disease. Mr. Mitchell's expert, Dr. James Dahlgren, opined that Mr. Mitchell had \"Macrophagic Myofasciitis (MMF), a subset of ASIA\" (Autoimmune/Inflammatory Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants), which he believed was caused by the aluminum adjuvants in the vaccine. However, the Special Master found the ASIA theory to be largely unsupported by reliable medical literature and criticized for its imprecise diagnostic criteria. Respondent's experts, Dr. Edward W. Cetaruk and Dr. Lindsay Whitton, also criticized the studies relied upon by Dr. Dahlgren, citing design flaws and lack of control groups. The Special Master concluded that Mr. Mitchell failed to establish a reputable medical theory connecting the vaccine to his alleged injuries, a logical sequence of cause and effect, or a proximate temporal relationship between the vaccination and his alleged injuries. Consequently, the petition was dismissed for failure to meet the burden of proof for an off-Table claim. Petitioner was represented by Randall G. Knutson, Esq., and respondent was represented by Glenn A. MacLeod, Esq. The decision was issued on September 1, 2017.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":0,"special_master":"Mindy Michaels Roth","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":null,"petitioner_attorney_name":"Randall G. Knutson","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Knutson & Casey Law Film","petitioner_attorney_location":"Mankato, MN","adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":null,"attorney_canonical_keys":"|randall-knutson|","firm_canonical_key":"knutson-and-casey-law-film","package_title":"MITCHELL v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00948","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00948.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00948.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00948-0","title":"MITCHELL v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 08/07/2017) Regarding 57 DECISION of Special Master: Signed by Special Master Mindy Michaels Roth. (jo) Copy to parties.","date_issued":"2017-09-01","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00948/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00948-0/pdf","pdf_bytes":515111,"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-00948/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00948-0"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00948-1","title":"MITCHELL v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 10/30/2017) regarding 64 DECISION of Special Master - Fees. Signed by Special Master Mindy Michaels Roth. (JS) Copy to parties.","date_issued":"2017-11-27","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"skip","triage_reason":"fees-only decision (attorney compensation)","download_status":"skipped"}]}