{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00227","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00227-0","petitioner_identifier":"Eric LaPierre","is_minor":0,"age_at_vaccination":35.0,"age_unit_raw":"years","vaccine_type":"Tdap","vaccination_date":"2014-06-11","condition_raw":"unspecified peripheral neuropathy/polyneuropathy (most likely manifesting as small fiber sensory neuropathy)","condition_category":"small_fiber_neuropathy","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"denied","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2019-12-03","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-04-30T00:48:11.922582+00:00","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":1,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":2,"theory_of_causation":"Off-Table","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2017-02-16","case_summary":"Eric LaPierre, a 35-year-old adult, received a Tdap vaccine on June 11, 2014. He alleged that within two days, he developed arm-related symptoms, including pain and swelling at the injection site, which progressed to tingling and numbness in his arm. Over the following months, his symptoms spread to his lower extremities and he sought treatment from multiple neurologists and other specialists. Petitioner's primary expert, Dr. Thomas Morgan, opined that Mr. LaPierre suffered from a small fiber sensory neuropathy, possibly a variant of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), and that the Tdap vaccine could have triggered this condition through molecular mimicry. Respondent's expert, Dr. Jeffrey Cohen, disagreed, stating that the medical records did not support a diagnosis of brachial plexopathy, GBS, or small fiber sensory neuropathy, and that Petitioner's symptoms were too nonspecific. The court reviewed the medical records and expert opinions, noting that Mr. LaPierre never received a formal diagnosis of small fiber sensory neuropathy from his treating physicians and did not undergo a skin biopsy, which is considered the gold standard for diagnosing this condition. While the court found the first and third Althen prongs (medical theory and temporal relationship) to be arguably met, it concluded that Petitioner failed to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that the Tdap vaccine \"did cause\" his alleged injury, as the medical record did not support the diagnosis of small fiber sensory neuropathy or a generalized peripheral neuropathy, and most treaters did not link the vaccine to his symptoms. Therefore, entitlement to compensation was denied.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":0,"special_master":"Brian H. Corcoran","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":"Eric LaPierre","petitioner_attorney_name":"Lauren Faga","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Conway Homer, P.C.","petitioner_attorney_location":"Boston, MA","adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":"2026-05-05 23:45:21","attorney_canonical_keys":"|lauren-faga|","firm_canonical_key":"conway-homer","package_title":"LAPIERRE v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00227","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00227.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00227.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00227-0","title":"LAPIERRE v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 10/16/2019) regarding 37 DECISION of Special Master Signed by Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran. (bm) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2019-12-03","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00227/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00227-0/pdf","pdf_bytes":391356,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"docketText matches keep keyword 'decision of special master'","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00227/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00227-0"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00227-1","title":"LAPIERRE v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 05/11/2020) regarding 46 DECISION of Special Master - Fees, Signed by Special Master Nora Beth Dorsey. (nh) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2020-06-04","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"skip","triage_reason":"fees-only decision (attorney compensation)","download_status":"skipped"}]}