{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00488","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00488-2","petitioner_identifier":"Ruth Vizcarra","is_minor":null,"age_at_vaccination":null,"age_unit_raw":null,"vaccine_type":"influenza","vaccination_date":"2019-09-21","condition_raw":"sudden sensorineural hearing loss","condition_category":"other","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"compensated","award_amount_usd":52216,"decision_date":"2025-08-18","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-07-16T21:32:55.438769+00:00","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":1,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":0,"theory_of_causation":"Off-Table","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2020-04-22","case_summary":"Ruth Vizcarra filed a petition for compensation under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, alleging she developed sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) after receiving an influenza vaccination on September 21, 2019. She reported hearing loss in her right ear within 24 hours of the vaccination, which was diagnosed as sudden idiopathic hearing loss. The case proceeded as an off-Table claim, with both parties filing expert reports. The court addressed a motion to limit the testimony of respondent's expert, Dr. Staats, a Ph.D., ruling that he should focus on the science behind the petitioner's theory and defer to medical doctors on diagnosis and specific causation. The court also awarded interim attorneys' fees and costs on two occasions, totaling $52,216.36 in the first award and $33,619.56 in the second, reflecting the protracted nature of the litigation and the costs associated with expert witnesses. The case is ongoing, with a hearing scheduled for October 2027.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":0,"special_master":null,"petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":null,"petitioner_attorney_name":"Andrew Downing","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Downing, Allison & Jorgenson","petitioner_attorney_location":"Phoenix, AZ","adjudicator_name":"Mindy Michaels Roth","caption_people_backfilled_at":"2026-07-17 09:43:15","attorney_canonical_keys":"|andrew-downing|","firm_canonical_key":"downing-allison-and-jorgenson","date_of_birth":null,"vaccine_type_canonical":"Influenza","condition_category_specifics":null,"fees_and_costs_usd":null,"attorney_unavailable_reason":null,"is_fees_only":null,"decision_type":"reasoned","decision_type_source":"body-regex","package_title":"VIZCARRA v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00488","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00488.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00488.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00488-0","title":"VIZCARRA v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC ORDER (Originally filed: 4/17/2023) regarding 58 Order Granting in Part Motion to Limit Testimony. Signed by Special Master Mindy Michaels Roth. (dkj) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2023-05-15","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00488/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00488-0/pdf","pdf_bytes":307354,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"keep [recovered-absent-case-2026-07-16] orig-skip: docketText matches skip keyword 'motion'","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00488/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00488-0"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00488-1","title":"VIZCARRA v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 8/18/2023) regarding 67 DECISION of Special Master - Interim Attorney's Fees. Signed by Special Master Mindy Michaels Roth. (dkj) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2023-09-12","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00488/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00488-1/pdf","pdf_bytes":389428,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"keep [recovered-absent-case-2026-07-16] orig-skip: fees-only decision (attorney compensation)","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00488/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00488-1"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00488-2","title":"VIZCARRA v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 8/18/2025) regarding 102 DECISION of Special Master - Interim Attorney's Fees. Signed by Special Master Mindy Michaels Roth. (dkj) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2025-09-16","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00488/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00488-2/pdf","pdf_bytes":328326,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"keep [recovered-absent-case-2026-07-16] orig-skip: fees-only decision (attorney compensation)","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00488/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00488-2"}]}