{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00623","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00623-1","petitioner_identifier":"Donald R. Izard","is_minor":0,"age_at_vaccination":66.0,"age_unit_raw":"years","vaccine_type":"influenza","vaccination_date":"2015-10-14","condition_raw":"chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)","condition_category":"GBS","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"denied","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2024-11-13","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-04-30T05:00:29.788969+00:00","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":1,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":90,"theory_of_causation":"Petitioner Donald R. Izard, aged 66, received an influenza vaccine on October 14, 2015. He alleged this vaccine caused him to develop CIDP and SLE. The parties stipulated to SLE. Petitioner's experts, Dr. Kinsbourne and Dr. Bellanti, proposed that the flu vaccine could cause CIDP and SLE through mechanisms like molecular mimicry, with onset within one month post-vaccination. Dr. Bellanti suggested the flu vaccine could trigger SLE in genetically predisposed individuals via molecular mimicry, polyclonal activation, tissue damage, or bystander activation, but failed to provide specific evidence linking the flu vaccine to SLE or detailing these mechanisms in relation to SLE. Respondent's experts, including neurologists Dr. Chaudhry and Dr. Moses, and rheumatologist Dr. Kamen, opined that Petitioner did not have CIDP, that his symptoms were consistent with SLE presenting as neuropathy, and that the onset of symptoms in January 2016, over three months post-vaccination, was too remote for vaccine causation. They also found no reliable medical, scientific, or epidemiological support for a link between flu vaccination and SLE or CIDP. The Special Master, affirmed by the Court of Federal Claims, found Petitioner failed to establish a sound and reliable medical theory for vaccine causation of SLE (Althen Prong 1), a logical sequence of cause and effect (Althen Prong 2), or a medically acceptable temporal relationship (Althen Prong 3). The petition was denied.","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2017-05-09","case_summary":"On May 9, 2017, Donald R. Izard, a 66-year-old male, filed a petition for compensation under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. He alleged that an influenza vaccine administered on October 14, 2015, caused him to develop chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The parties stipulated that Mr. Izard suffers from SLE. However, the diagnosis of CIDP and its causal link to the vaccine were disputed. Mr. Izard's medical records indicated symptoms of tingling in his hands and feet began around January 2016, more than three months after vaccination. His treating physicians and experts offered differing opinions on his diagnosis and the cause of his conditions. Respondent argued that Mr. Izard did not establish by a preponderance of the evidence that the flu vaccine caused his CIDP or SLE. After reviewing the medical records and expert testimony, Special Master Nora Beth Dorsey determined that Mr. Izard failed to prove that the flu vaccine caused his conditions, finding that his symptoms were more consistent with SLE presenting with neuropathy rather than a separate CIDP diagnosis caused by the vaccine. The petition was denied. Mr. Izard sought review of this decision, but the Court of Federal Claims, in an opinion by Senior Judge Edward J. Damich, affirmed the Special Master's findings, concluding that the Special Master properly weighed the evidence and applied the correct legal standards. The court found no error in the Special Master's determination of the diagnosis, the onset timing of symptoms, or the evaluation of causation evidence. The petition was denied.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":0,"special_master":"Nora Beth Dorsey","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":null,"petitioner_attorney_name":"Stacey Amanda Subryan-Gerber","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Tiveron Law, PLLC","petitioner_attorney_location":"Amherst, NY","adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":null,"attorney_canonical_keys":"|stacey-subryan-gerber|","firm_canonical_key":"tiveron-law","package_title":"IZARD v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00623","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00623.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00623.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00623-0","title":"IZARD v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 11/13/2024) regarding 160 DECISION of Special Master. Signed by Special Master Nora Beth Dorsey. (aevw) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2024-12-09","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00623/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00623-0/pdf","pdf_bytes":623233,"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-00623/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00623-0"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00623-1","title":"IZARD v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"JUDGE VACCINE UNREPORTED OPINION (PUBLIC VERSION) on 166 Order on Motion for Review, Judge Vaccine Order/Opinion. Signed by Senior Judge Edward J. Damich. (lp1) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2025-02-12","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00623/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00623-1/pdf","pdf_bytes":336249,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"docketText matches keep keyword 'opinion'","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00623/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-00623-1"}]}