{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-01965","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-01965-0","petitioner_identifier":"Joseph Hilo","is_minor":0,"age_at_vaccination":39.0,"age_unit_raw":"years","vaccine_type":"influenza","vaccination_date":"2014-11-18","condition_raw":"chondrosarcoma in his left arm and frozen shoulder","condition_category":"other","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"denied","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2023-03-31","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-04-30T02:53:22.683620+00:00","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":1,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":null,"theory_of_causation":"Petitioner Joseph Hilo, born in 1975, received an influenza vaccination on November 18, 2014, and alleged it caused chondrosarcoma in his left arm and later frozen shoulder. The petition was filed on December 18, 2017. The Special Master, Christian J. Moran, denied the claim. The theory of causation was off-Table. The primary medical opinion connecting the vaccine to the injury came from Dr. Giannakopoulos, a specialist in obesity, whose qualifications to opine on chondrosarcoma and frozen shoulder were questioned. Dr. Giannakopoulos's account of Mr. Hilo's medical history and treatment timeline contained inconsistencies with other medical records, including a prior history of a sarcoma or cyst in the left arm at age nine, which precluded the vaccine from being the cause. Dr. Giannakopoulos stated the vaccine-induced shoulder injury resulted in \"a low form of bone cancer\" but provided no theory or mechanism for this progression. The Special Master found Mr. Hilo did not meet his burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that the flu vaccine caused his alleged injuries or that he met the definition of SIRVA. No award was granted.","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2017-12-18","case_summary":"Joseph Hilo, representing himself, filed a petition on December 18, 2017, alleging that a flu vaccination administered on November 18, 2014, caused him to develop chondrosarcoma in his left arm. Later, a doctor added a claim for frozen shoulder. The Secretary of Health and Human Services opposed the claim. Mr. Hilo was born in 1975, making him an adult at the time of vaccination. The Special Master noted that Mr. Hilo had not substantiated his claims with persuasive evidence and therefore dismissed the case. The public decision does not describe the specific symptoms, medical tests, or treatments related to the alleged injuries, nor does it name petitioner's counsel or respondent's counsel beyond identifying the department of justice. The Special Master was Christian J. Moran. \n\nEvidence presented indicated that Mr. Hilo had a history of a problem in his left arm prior to vaccination. A 2013 medical record from Dr. Evanov noted that Mr. Hilo had surgery for a sarcoma in his left humerus at age nine. A 2016 medical record from Dr. Kenan stated Mr. Hilo had a \"longstanding history of a large recurrent persistent osteochondroma involving the entire left proximal humerus.\" Mr. Hilo disputed these accounts, suggesting a \"simple cyst\" was removed and that \"long-standing\" was due to a language barrier. However, the Special Master found that whether the prior issue was a \"sarcoma\" or a \"cyst,\" it indicated a problem in his left arm before the vaccination, which would preclude the vaccine from being the cause of the alleged injury, citing Locane v. Sec’y of Health & Hum. Servs. Other pre-vaccination medical records were deemed not relevant. \n\nFollowing the November 18, 2014 vaccination, the first documented appointment was on March 11, 2015, with a chiropractor for neck and shoulder pain. The chiropractor's records did not indicate when the shoulder problem started. Mr. Hilo first sought treatment from Dr. Kenan on December 4, 2015, but the intake information from this appointment is missing. A later record from Dr. Kenan's office indicated an onset date of December 30, 2014, for the osteochondroma, though the basis for this statement was not provided. Mr. Hilo underwent a presurgical consultation with Dr. Evanov on January 13, 2016, for left shoulder pain and decreased range of motion, with Dr. Evanov noting \"Uncontrolled Diabetes – cancel OR.\" Dr. Evanov cleared Mr. Hilo for surgery on February 24, 2016. Records from Dr. Kenan beginning February 8, 2016, showed treatment for osteochondroma. \n\nProcedurally, the Secretary raised the issue of the statute of limitations, as the petition was filed over three years after the vaccination date. Mr. Hilo responded that the onset of his chondrosarcoma was around Christmas 2017. The Special Master directed Mr. Hilo to collect medical records. Despite multiple orders and extensions, Mr. Hilo had difficulty obtaining records and indicated he could not provide additional ones. He submitted a statement from Dr. Giannakopoulos, whose qualifications and the accuracy of his account of Mr. Hilo's history were questioned. Dr. Giannakopoulos, a specialist in obesity, opined that the flu vaccine could damage a person's shoulder and that the vaccine-induced shoulder injury resulted in \"a low form of bone cancer.\" However, the Special Master found Dr. Giannakopoulos's qualifications to opine on chondrosarcoma and frozen shoulder to be limited and his chronology of events inconsistent with other medical records. The Special Master also noted that Dr. Giannakopoulos provided no theory or mechanism by which a vaccine-induced shoulder injury could lead to bone cancer. \n\nThe Special Master concluded that Mr. Hilo did not meet his burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that the flu vaccine caused his alleged injuries, nor did he establish he met the definition of SIRVA. Consequently, his claim for compensation was denied. The public decision does not detail any award amount or annuity terms as the claim was denied.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":0,"special_master":"Christian J. Moran","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":null,"petitioner_attorney_name":null,"petitioner_attorney_firm":null,"petitioner_attorney_location":null,"adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":null,"attorney_canonical_keys":null,"firm_canonical_key":null,"package_title":"HILO v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-01965","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-01965.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-01965.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-01965-0","title":"HILO v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"class mail on 04.03.2023 (cam). Modified on 4/3/2023 (cam).PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 2/27/2023) regarding 64 DECISION of Special Master Signed by Special Master Christian J. Moran. (dksc) Service on parties made. Petitioner served via first","date_issued":"2023-03-31","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-01965/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-01965-0/pdf","pdf_bytes":294166,"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-01965/USCOURTS-cofc-1_17-vv-01965-0"}]}