{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-00813","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-00813-1","petitioner_identifier":"James Clark","is_minor":null,"age_at_vaccination":null,"age_unit_raw":"years (no age in source - verified)","vaccine_type":"Hepatitis B","vaccination_date":"2017-02-21","condition_raw":"Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration","condition_category":"SIRVA","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"denied","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2022-11-02","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-04-30T00:58:28.075613+00:00","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":1,"dose_number":2,"time_to_onset_days":4,"theory_of_causation":"Table","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2018-06-08","case_summary":"James Clark filed a petition alleging that his Hepatitis B vaccination on February 21, 2017, caused a left shoulder injury, specifically a Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA). Mr. Clark had a significant history of left shoulder pain and dysfunction, including a total shoulder replacement in 2010, and ongoing issues like ankylosing spondylitis (AS), cervical spine degeneration, and limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. He claimed his shoulder pain began shortly after the vaccination, but the court found that his own contemporaneous emails and medical records indicated pain onset approximately four days after the vaccination, outside the 48-hour window required for a Table SIRVA claim. Furthermore, the court determined that Mr. Clark's pre-existing conditions, including complications from his shoulder replacement (such as glenoid loosening and fracture) and his AS, were more likely explanations for his continued shoulder pain than the vaccination. His expert, Dr. Axelrod, proposed a theory of environmentally associated autoimmune disease via molecular mimicry, but the court found this theory unpersuasive and not supported by the evidence, particularly given the immediate inflammatory nature typically associated with SIRVA. Respondent's expert, Dr. Abrams, a qualified orthopedist, provided a more convincing analysis linking Mr. Clark's symptoms to his pre-existing conditions. Ultimately, the court concluded that Mr. Clark failed to meet the criteria for a Table SIRVA and did not establish causation-in-fact. Therefore, his petition was denied.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":0,"special_master":"Daniel T. Horner","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":null,"petitioner_attorney_name":"Caryn Fennell","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Caryn S. Fennell P.C.","petitioner_attorney_location":"Woodstock, GA","adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":null,"attorney_canonical_keys":"|caryn-fennell|","firm_canonical_key":"caryn-s-fennell","package_title":"CLARK v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-00813","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-00813.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-00813.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-00813-0","title":"CLARK v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC ORDER/RULING (Originally filed: 7/1/2022) regarding 65 Order on Motion to Redact Decision. Signed by Special Master Daniel T. Horner. (tkp) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2022-07-29","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"skip","triage_reason":"docketText matches skip keyword 'motion'","download_status":"skipped"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-00813-1","title":"CLARK v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 02/07/2022) regarding 61 DECISION of Special Master. Signed by Special Master Daniel T. Horner. (mly) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2022-11-02","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-00813/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-00813-1/pdf","pdf_bytes":545332,"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_18-vv-00813/USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-00813-1"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-00813-2","title":"CLARK v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 10/25/2023) regarding 73 DECISION of Special Master - Fees Signed by Special Master Daniel T. Horner. (jm) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2023-12-07","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"skip","triage_reason":"fees-only decision (attorney compensation)","download_status":"skipped"}]}