{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01363","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01363-0","petitioner_identifier":"Cindy Smith","is_minor":0,"age_at_vaccination":null,"age_unit_raw":"adult (exact age not stated in public source)","vaccine_type":"influenza","vaccination_date":"2019-10-30","condition_raw":"left shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA)","condition_category":"SIRVA","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"compensated","award_amount_usd":113483.98,"decision_date":"2024-07-29","extraction_version":"manual-supplement-redo-2026-05-normal31","extracted_at":"2026-05-04 18:25:56","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":1,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":0,"theory_of_causation":"Adult petitioner; influenza vaccine October 30, 2019; left Table SIRVA. COMPENSATED after contested entitlement/damages. Respondent disputed 48-hour onset due to no shoulder note at visit six days later and first recorded shoulder pain at 14 days; SM credited affidavit and consistent later records of immediate pain, found localized shoulder symptoms and no alternative condition. Award July 29, 2024: $113,483.98 = $110,000.00 pain/suffering + $3,483.98 expenses. SM Corcoran. Petition filed October 13, 2020.","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2020-10-13","case_summary":"On October 13, 2020, Cindy Smith filed a petition alleging that an influenza vaccination administered on October 30, 2019 caused a left shoulder injury related to vaccine administration.\n\nThe case did not settle. Respondent contested entitlement, focusing on whether Ms. Smith's shoulder pain began within forty-eight hours. He emphasized that she saw a doctor six days after vaccination for other health issues without a shoulder complaint being recorded, and that the first medical record of shoulder pain was fourteen days after vaccination. Ms. Smith stated by affidavit that she did mention her shoulder pain at the six-day visit, and her later records consistently reported immediate post-vaccination shoulder pain.\n\nChief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran found that the gap in documentation was not fatal. He noted that patients often expect post-vaccination pain to be temporary, that the six-day visit was focused on unrelated concerns, and that treatment less than one month after vaccination was still relatively timely. He found no prior or alternative shoulder condition explaining the symptoms, found the pain and reduced range of motion localized to the vaccinated shoulder, and held that Ms. Smith had proven a Table SIRVA.\n\nAfter briefing and an expedited Motions Day hearing, the Chief Special Master awarded $113,483.98 on July 29, 2024: $110,000.00 for actual pain and suffering and $3,483.98 for out-of-pocket unreimbursed expenses. The decision recognized surgical intervention and post-operative recovery as part of the injury course. A later fees decision reduced requested attorneys' fees for excessive entitlement and damages briefing, but did not change the injury award.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":0,"special_master":"Brian H. Corcoran","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":"Cindy Smith","petitioner_attorney_name":"Leah VaSahnja Durant","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Law Offices of Leah V. Durant, PLLC","petitioner_attorney_location":"Washington, DC","adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":"2026-05-05 23:43:55","attorney_canonical_keys":"|leah-durant|","firm_canonical_key":"law-offices-of-leah-v-durant","package_title":"SMITH v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01363","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01363.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01363.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01363-0","title":"SMITH v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC ORDER/RULING (Originally filed: 07/29/2024) regarding 40 DECISION of Special Master,, Ruling on Entitlement, Signed by Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran. (ppa) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2024-09-04","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01363/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01363-0/pdf","pdf_bytes":329847,"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_20-vv-01363/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01363-0"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01363-1","title":"SMITH v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 07/31/2025) regarding 48 DECISION of Special Master - Fees Signed by Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran. (ppa) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2025-09-10","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"skip","triage_reason":"fees-only decision (attorney compensation)","download_status":"skipped"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01363-cl-extra-11135841","title":"Smith v. Secretary of Health and Human Services","docket_text":"Supplementary opinion from CourtListener cluster 10669254","date_issued":"2025-09-10","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"CL supplement: Smith v. Secretary of Health and Human Services","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01363/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01363-cl-extra-11135841"}]}