{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_19-vv-00790","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_19-vv-00790-0","petitioner_identifier":"Carol Culwell","is_minor":0,"age_at_vaccination":44.0,"age_unit_raw":"years","vaccine_type":"influenza","vaccination_date":"2016-05-26","condition_raw":"transverse myelitis","condition_category":"transverse_myelitis","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"dismissed","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2024-10-15","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-04-30T01:06:47.009166+00:00","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":1,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":null,"theory_of_causation":"Petitioner Carol Culwell, age 44, received a seasonal influenza vaccine on May 26, 2016, and alleged transverse myelitis (TM) as an off-Table injury. The claim was filed on May 30, 2019. Petitioner initially provided an expert report supporting her claim, but after respondent's rebuttal reports and a re-review of her MRI scans, her expert could no longer support the TM diagnosis. The public decision does not name the experts or detail the mechanism of injury. Petitioner filed a motion to voluntarily dismiss on September 15, 2024, citing the lack of expert support for her diagnosis. Special Master Daniel T. Horner granted the motion on October 15, 2024, dismissing the petition for failure to establish a prima facie case, as the record did not preponderate in favor of a vaccine-caused injury. Petitioner was represented by Curtis R. Webb, and respondent by Neil Bhargava.","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2019-05-30","case_summary":"Carol Culwell filed a claim on May 30, 2019, alleging that she suffered transverse myelitis as a result of a seasonal influenza vaccination she received on May 26, 2016. The case was reassigned to Special Master Daniel T. Horner on August 28, 2019. The respondent filed a Rule 4(c) Report on September 16, 2021, recommending against compensation. Initially, petitioner Culwell provided an expert medical opinion supporting her claim, filing an expert report on January 11, 2023. However, the respondent filed two expert reports in rebuttal on May 30, 2023. Subsequently, on September 15, 2024, petitioner Culwell filed a motion to dismiss the case, stating that after reviewing the respondent's expert reports and re-reviewing her MRI scans, her own expert could no longer support the transverse myelitis diagnosis underlying her claim. To receive compensation, a petitioner must prove either a \"Table Injury\" or that the injury was actually caused by a covered vaccine. This case proceeded as an off-Table claim, as no Table injury was alleged or supported by evidence. To prove causation in fact for an off-Table claim, a petitioner must show by preponderant evidence a medical theory connecting the vaccination and the injury, a logical sequence of cause and effect, and a proximate temporal relationship. The public decision does not describe the specific symptoms, medical records, or treatments related to Ms. Culwell's condition. Petitioner's expert report, which initially supported her claim, was disclaimed regarding her specific diagnosis after reviewing rebuttal reports and her MRI scans. The Special Master noted that the remaining record did not contain preponderant evidence that petitioner's condition was vaccine-caused. Consequently, Special Master Horner granted petitioner's motion to voluntarily dismiss the claim, dismissing the petition for failure to establish a prima facie case of entitlement to compensation. The decision was issued on October 15, 2024. Petitioner was represented by Curtis R. Webb, and respondent was represented by Neil Bhargava. The Special Master was Daniel T. Horner.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":0,"special_master":"Daniel T. Horner","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":null,"petitioner_attorney_name":"Curtis R. Webb","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Curtis R. Webb, Attorney at Law","petitioner_attorney_location":"Monmouth, OR","adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":null,"attorney_canonical_keys":"|curtis-webb|","firm_canonical_key":"curtis-r-webb","package_title":"CULWELL v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_19-vv-00790","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_19-vv-00790.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_19-vv-00790.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_19-vv-00790-0","title":"CULWELL v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 9/16/2024) regarding 61 DECISION of Special Master. Signed by Special Master Daniel T. Horner. (sh). Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2024-10-15","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_19-vv-00790/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_19-vv-00790-0/pdf","pdf_bytes":246376,"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_19-vv-00790/USCOURTS-cofc-1_19-vv-00790-0"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_19-vv-00790-1","title":"CULWELL v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 12/22/2025) regarding 69 DECISION of Special Master - Fees. Signed by Special Master Daniel T. Horner. (cd) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2026-01-16","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"skip","triage_reason":"fees-only decision (attorney compensation)","download_status":"skipped"}]}