{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_19-vv-01927","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_19-vv-01927-0","petitioner_identifier":"Ana Bruno Garcia","is_minor":0,"age_at_vaccination":73.0,"age_unit_raw":"years","vaccine_type":"influenza","vaccination_date":"2017-12-29","condition_raw":"meningoencephalitis","condition_category":"encephalitis_encephalopathy","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"denied","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2025-04-23","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-04-30T01:11:37.289590+00:00","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":1,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":7,"theory_of_causation":"Petitioner Ana Bruno Garcia, age 73, received an influenza vaccine on December 29, 2017. Seven days later, she developed symptoms of confusion, fever, and seizures, leading to a diagnosis of meningoencephalitis. Petitioner alleged the flu vaccine caused her condition, proposing theories of autoimmune reaction and molecular mimicry, supported by experts Dr. Schenk and Dr. Ramos. Respondent argued Petitioner's condition was more likely due to an undiagnosed infection, citing experts Dr. Wilson and Dr. Tompkins. The Special Master found Petitioner failed to establish a sound medical theory connecting the vaccine to her meningoencephalitis, noting her own experts could not definitively state the vaccine was the most probable cause. The court denied the claim, finding the temporal relationship insufficient to establish causation. The case was decided on the record by Special Master Herbrina D.S. Young on April 23, 2025. Attorneys for Petitioner were Roberto E. Ruiz-Comas and for Respondent was Adam Nemeth Muffett. The outcome was denied.","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2019-12-19","case_summary":"Ana Bruno Garcia, a 73-year-old woman, filed a petition for compensation on December 19, 2019, alleging that the influenza vaccine she received on December 29, 2017, caused her to suffer from meningoencephalitis. Petitioner's counsel was Roberto E. Ruiz-Comas. Respondent's counsel was Adam Nemeth Muffett. Special Master Herbrina D.S. Young presided over the case. Petitioner's medical history included hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, hyperthyroidism, degenerative joint disease, cardiac arrhythmias, and anxiety. Seven days after vaccination, on January 5, 2018, Petitioner presented to the emergency room with confusion, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and tremors, progressing to fever, delirium, seizure activity, and unresponsiveness. She was diagnosed with meningoencephalitis. Petitioner alleged that the flu vaccine caused her condition and presented expert reports from Dr. Christian E. Schenk and Dr. Cristina Ramos-Romey. Dr. Schenk initially suggested a possible autoimmune reaction or molecular mimicry triggered by the vaccine, but later conceded that meningoencephalitis was the more likely diagnosis and Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) was unlikely. Dr. Ramos also discussed molecular mimicry and immune cross-reaction as possible mechanisms for vaccine-induced neurological disease, but ultimately stated she could not \"in sound medical judgment state that vaccination is the most probable cause\" of Petitioner's condition, though she maintained a vaccine-related adverse event was a \"more probable cause.\" Respondent presented expert reports from Dr. Michael Wilson and Dr. Stephen M. Tompkins. Dr. Wilson, a neurologist specializing in neuro-infectious diseases, agreed with the diagnosis of meningoencephalitis but argued Petitioner's symptoms and presentation were more consistent with an undiagnosed infectious meningoencephalitis, possibly contracted from her children who were sick around the same time. He noted that Petitioner's rapid recovery without immunosuppressants and her CSF profile were inconsistent with ADEM. Dr. Tompkins, an immunologist, stated there was no evidence that the inactivated flu vaccine is associated with meningoencephalitis or ADEM, and that Petitioner's exposure to sick children and her symptoms were indicative of a viral infection. The Special Master found that Petitioner failed to establish a sound medical theory connecting the flu vaccine to her meningoencephalitis, and that her own experts could not definitively state the vaccine was the most probable cause. While a temporal relationship existed, it was insufficient to overcome the lack of evidence for causation. Therefore, the Special Master denied her claim and dismissed the petition on April 23, 2025.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":0,"special_master":"Herbrina Sanders Young","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":null,"petitioner_attorney_name":"Roberto E. Ruiz-Comas","petitioner_attorney_firm":"RC Legal and Litigation Services LLC","petitioner_attorney_location":"Guaynabo, PR","adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":null,"attorney_canonical_keys":"|roberto-ruiz-comas|","firm_canonical_key":"rc-legal-and-litigation-services","package_title":"GARCIA v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_19-vv-01927","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_19-vv-01927.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_19-vv-01927.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_19-vv-01927-0","title":"GARCIA v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 4/23/2025) regarding 45 DECISION of Special Master. Signed by Special Master Herbrina D S Young. (gf) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2025-05-19","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_19-vv-01927/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_19-vv-01927-0/pdf","pdf_bytes":450538,"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-01927/USCOURTS-cofc-1_19-vv-01927-0"}]}