{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_14-vv-00952","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_14-vv-00952-1","petitioner_identifier":"Elizabeth Nicole Robinson","is_minor":0,"age_at_vaccination":37.0,"age_unit_raw":"years","vaccine_type":"influenza","vaccination_date":"2011-10-18","condition_raw":"relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis","condition_category":"other","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"entitlement_granted_pending_damages","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2021-06-09","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-04-30T00:34:48.945968+00:00","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":1,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":13,"theory_of_causation":"Off-Table","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2014-10-06","case_summary":"Elizabeth Nicole Robinson, a 37-year-old adult, received an influenza vaccination on October 18, 2011. Thirteen days later, she began experiencing symptoms of numbness and tingling in her left hand, which progressed over the following months. She was diagnosed with optic neuritis and subsequently, on August 24, 2012, with clinically definite multiple sclerosis (MS). Ms. Robinson filed a petition alleging the flu vaccine caused her MS, neurogenic bladder, and paresthesias. The case proceeded as an off-Table claim, meaning she had to prove causation. Petitioner presented expert testimony from Dr. Lawrence Steinman, who opined that the flu vaccine caused Ms. Robinson's MS through molecular mimicry, where vaccine antigens cross-reacted with myelin proteins. Respondent presented expert testimony from Dr. Timothy Vartanian, who argued that MS lesions likely predated the vaccination and that sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) was a more probable cause. The court considered extensive medical records, expert reports, and testimony. The court found that Ms. Robinson's treating neurologist, Dr. Burger, had exempted her from future flu vaccinations due to her MS diagnosis, which was considered persuasive evidence of causation. While the court acknowledged the complexity and the existence of other risk factors, it ultimately found that Ms. Robinson had met her burden of proof by a preponderance of the evidence, establishing a medically acceptable temporal relationship and a logical sequence of cause and effect. The court ruled that Ms. Robinson is entitled to compensation, with damages to be determined in a subsequent order.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":0,"special_master":"Katherine E. Oler","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":null,"petitioner_attorney_name":"Mark Sadaka","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Mark T. Sadaka, LLC","petitioner_attorney_location":"Englewood, NJ","adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":null,"attorney_canonical_keys":"|mark-sadaka|","firm_canonical_key":"mark-t-sadaka","package_title":"ROBINSON v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_14-vv-00952","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_14-vv-00952.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_14-vv-00952.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_14-vv-00952-0","title":"ROBINSON v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 1/17/2020) regarding 93 DECISION of Special Master - Interim Attorney's Fees. Signed by Special Master Katherine E. Oler. (nvb) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2020-03-11","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"skip","triage_reason":"fees-only decision (attorney compensation)","download_status":"skipped"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_14-vv-00952-1","title":"ROBINSON v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC ORDER/RULING (Originally filed: 4/12/2021) regarding 105 Ruling on Entitlement. Signed by Special Master Katherine E. Oler. (sl) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2021-06-09","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_14-vv-00952/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_14-vv-00952-1/pdf","pdf_bytes":535840,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"docketText matches keep keyword 'ruling on entitlement'","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_14-vv-00952/USCOURTS-cofc-1_14-vv-00952-1"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_14-vv-00952-2","title":"ROBINSON v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 12/20/2024) regarding 161 DECISION on Attorneys' Fees and Costs. Signed by Special Master Jennifer A. Shah. (sl) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2025-02-06","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"skip","triage_reason":"fees-only decision (attorney compensation)","download_status":"skipped"}]}