Barbara Riffle v. HHS - Influenza, Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) (2015)
Case summary [AI summaries can sometimes make mistakes]
Barbara Riffle filed a petition on January 27, 2014, under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, alleging that an influenza vaccine administered on January 15, 2013, caused her to develop Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). The respondent, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, denied that the flu vaccine caused Petitioner's condition.
The parties subsequently filed a joint stipulation on September 16, 2015, agreeing to an award of compensation. The stipulation stated that Petitioner would receive a lump sum of $310,000.00 for all damages.
On September 18, 2015, the parties filed a separate stipulation for attorneys' fees and costs, agreeing to an award of $27,126.25. Special Master Lisa Hamilton-Fieldman reviewed the stipulations, found them reasonable, and adopted them as the decision of the Court.
Judgment was entered accordingly. The total compensation awarded to Petitioner was $337,126.25.
Theory of causation
Petitioner Barbara Riffle alleged that an influenza vaccine administered on January 15, 2013, caused her to develop Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). The respondent denied causation. The parties filed a joint stipulation agreeing to compensation. The public decision does not describe the specific theory of causation, medical experts, onset, symptoms, tests, treatments, or the mechanism of injury. The Special Master, Lisa Hamilton-Fieldman, approved the stipulation, awarding Petitioner $310,000.00 for all damages and $27,126.25 for attorneys' fees and costs, for a total award of $337,126.25. Judgment was entered on October 7, 2015.
Source PDFs
USCOURTS-cofc-1_14-vv-00074