Jennifer L. Ratzlaff v. HHS - Tdap, Guillan-Barré syndrome (2018)

Jennifer Ratzlaff filed a petition on September 29, 2016, seeking compensation under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Ms.

Ratzlaff alleged that she developed Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) as a result of receiving a tetanus-diptheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine on October 31, 2013. The respondent, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, initially recommended that Ms.

Ratzlaff be denied compensation. The parties retained experts and prepared for a hearing, which had been set for December 3, 2018.

However, prior to the hearing, they elected to engage in settlement negotiations. Although the respondent maintained its position that the Tdap vaccine did not cause Ms.

Ratzlaff's injury, the parties filed a stipulation on November 15, 2018. Special Master Brian H.

Corcoran reviewed the record and found the stipulation to be reasonable, adopting it as the decision awarding damages. The stipulation awarded Ms.

Ratzlaff a lump sum of $80,000.00, payable to Petitioner, as compensation for all damages. This decision was entered on November 15, 2018.

The public decision does not describe the specific onset of symptoms, medical tests, treatments, or the mechanism of causation. The attorneys involved were Nancy Routh Meyers for the Petitioner and Christine Mary Becer for the Respondent.