Wyatt Tanner v. HHS - Influenza, transverse myelitis (2015)

Wyatt Tanner, born June 6, 1980, filed a petition on January 5, 2015, alleging that an influenza vaccine administered on September 6, 2012, caused his transverse myelitis (TM). Medical records indicated that symptoms, including generalized body aches, urinary frequency, abdominal pain, malaise, sensitive skin, and fatigue, began on the same day as the vaccination.

Tanner was later diagnosed with TM during a hospitalization from September 14 to 21, 2012. Petitioner's counsel was Isaiah R.

Kalinowski, and respondent's counsel was Jennifer L. Reynaud.

On February 27, 2015, Tanner filed a motion for a decision on the written record, stating he did not wish to pursue the case further with expert witnesses. Special Master Laura D.

Millman granted this motion, dismissing the case. The Special Master found that Tanner failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the flu vaccine caused his TM, as required by the Althen standard, and did not provide an expert medical opinion to substantiate his claim.

The public decision does not describe the specific medical theory connecting the vaccine to the TM, the logical sequence of cause and effect, or any expert testimony presented. A subsequent decision on July 29, 2015, awarded $12,450.98 in attorneys' fees and costs based on a stipulation of fact between the parties.