{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-01217","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-01217-1","petitioner_identifier":"Leonard Thompson","is_minor":0,"age_at_vaccination":78.0,"age_unit_raw":"years","vaccine_type":"Prevnar-13","vaccination_date":"2015-12-14","condition_raw":"Polymyalgia Rheumatica","condition_category":"other","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"denied","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2024-01-02","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-07-01T15:27:36.610031+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":"2018-08-15","case_summary":"Leonard Thompson, born in 1937, received a Prevnar-13 vaccination on December 14, 2015, at the age of 78. He alleged that this vaccination caused him to develop Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) and/or other neurologic and physical impairments. His petition was filed on August 15, 2018. Mr. Thompson reported experiencing pain in his knees, hips, and shoulders within two to three days of the vaccination, which later spread to his hands and wrists. His PCP suspected a vaccine reaction, and a rheumatologist diagnosed him with PMR, initiating prednisone treatment. The case proceeded as an off-Table claim, requiring Mr. Thompson to prove causation. Both parties presented expert testimony from an immunologist (Dr. Gershwin for Petitioner) and a rheumatologist (Dr. Matloubian for Respondent). Dr. Gershwin proposed a theory that the vaccine triggered cytokine production, leading to immune dysregulation and PMR due to Petitioner's age. Dr. Matloubian argued that the link between vaccines and PMR is speculative, that PMR is common in the elderly and vaccination is also common, making coincidence likely, and that IL-6 elevation is an end result of inflammation, not a trigger. The Special Master found that Petitioner failed to establish a sound and reliable medical theory connecting the Prevnar-13 vaccine to PMR, noting a lack of literature supporting such a link and the speculative nature of the cytokine-based theory. The court also found that the Petitioner did not sufficiently prove a logical sequence of cause and effect. Consequently, the petition was dismissed.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":0,"special_master":"Katherine E. Oler","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":null,"petitioner_attorney_name":"Michael McLaren","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Black McLaren, et al., PC","petitioner_attorney_location":"Memphis, TN","adjudicator_name":"Katherine E. Oler","caption_people_backfilled_at":"2026-07-11 04:53:31","attorney_canonical_keys":"|michael-mclaren|","firm_canonical_key":"black-mclaren-jones-ryland-and-griffee","date_of_birth":null,"vaccine_type_canonical":"Pneumococcal","condition_category_specifics":"Polymyalgia Rheumatica","fees_and_costs_usd":null,"attorney_unavailable_reason":null,"package_title":"THOMPSON v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-01217","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-01217.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-01217.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-01217-0","title":"THOMPSON v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 9/27/2022) regarding 53 DECISION of Special Master - Interim Attorneys' Fees and Costs. Signed by Special Master Katherine E. Oler. (emh) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2022-11-01","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"skip","triage_reason":"fees-only decision (attorney compensation)","download_status":"skipped"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-01217-1","title":"THOMPSON v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 12/5/2023) regarding 60 DECISION Dismissing Petition. Signed by Special Master Katherine E. Oler. (emh) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2024-01-02","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-01217/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-01217-1/pdf","pdf_bytes":468417,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"docketText matches keep keyword 'decision dismissing'","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-01217/USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-01217-1"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_18-vv-01217-2","title":"THOMPSON v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 07/18/2024) regarding 67 DECISION of Special Master - Attorneys' Fees and Costs. Signed by Special Master Katherine E. Oler. (saj) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2024-08-23","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"skip","triage_reason":"fees-only decision (attorney compensation)","download_status":"skipped"}]}