Gloria Guerrero v. HHS - Influenza, Guillain-Barré Syndrome (2016)

Gloria Guerrero filed a petition for compensation under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program on January 7, 2016, alleging she suffered Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) after receiving an influenza vaccine on October 16, 2014. She claimed residual effects from her injury for more than six months and stated she had not filed a civil suit or received other compensation for her alleged vaccine-caused injury.

The respondent, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, denied that the flu vaccine caused petitioner's GBS or any other injury. Despite the respondent's denial, the parties filed a joint stipulation for damages on October 13, 2016.

Chief Special Master Nora Beth Dorsey found the stipulation reasonable and adopted it as the court's decision. The stipulation awarded Gloria Guerrero a total of $230,923.50.

This amount was comprised of a lump sum payment of $226,389.30 payable to Gloria Guerrero and a lump sum payment of $4,534.20 payable jointly to Gloria Guerrero and Presbyterian Centennial Care to satisfy a State of New Mexico Medicaid lien. The award was intended to compensate for all items of damages available under the Vaccine Act.

The decision was issued on October 13, 2016. Petitioner was represented by Jeffrey S.

Pop, and respondent was represented by Claudia B. Gangi.

The public decision does not describe the specific onset of symptoms, medical tests, treatments, or the mechanism of causation.