{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01476","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01476-1","petitioner_identifier":"Dianne Byrd","is_minor":0,"age_at_vaccination":65.0,"age_unit_raw":"years","vaccine_type":"Prevnar 13 (pneumococcal conjugate)","vaccination_date":"2019-02-06","condition_raw":"Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS)","condition_category":"GBS","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"entitlement_granted_pending_damages","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2024-07-08","extraction_version":"manual-supplement-redo-2026-05-normal41","extracted_at":"2026-05-04 23:59:54","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":1,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":4,"theory_of_causation":"Prevnar 13 pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on February 6, 2019, age 65, followed by Guillain-Barre syndrome beginning about four days later. ENTITLEMENT GRANTED; damages pending. The record described severe weakness in all extremities, IVIG treatment, and rehabilitation. Special Master Corcoran granted entitlement on July 8, 2024. Later fee/supplemental documents did not change entitlement.","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2020-10-27","case_summary":"Dianne Byrd, a 65-year-old woman, filed a petition alleging that the Prevnar 13 vaccine she received on February 6, 2019, caused her to develop Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). Approximately four days after vaccination, Ms. Byrd began experiencing pain, numbness, and tingling in her feet, which progressed over the next few days. By February 13, 2019, the pain had worsened significantly, leading her to seek emergency care. Her condition rapidly deteriorated, resulting in severe weakness in all extremities, respiratory insufficiency requiring intubation, and facial symptoms. She was hospitalized for over a month and subsequently resided in multiple long-term care facilities before moving to her daughter's home, where she requires significant daily assistance. Ms. Byrd testified that she was active before her illness, swimming a mile three times a week. Her daughter, a nurse, corroborated the timeline and the severity of her mother's condition and ongoing care needs. The petitioner presented expert testimony from a neurologist and an immunologist who opined that the Prevnar 13 vaccine likely caused Ms. Byrd's GBS through a mechanism of molecular mimicry, where the vaccine's components trigger an autoimmune response against the peripheral nervous system. The respondent presented expert testimony from a neurologist and an immunologist who argued that there was insufficient evidence to link the Prevnar 13 vaccine to GBS, with one expert suggesting that if a link existed, it would be through the CRM197 component rather than the polysaccharides. The court found that Ms. Byrd had established a sound and reliable medical theory of causation (Althen Prong One) through molecular mimicry, supported by expert testimony and medical literature. The court also found a logical sequence of cause and effect (Althen Prong Two), noting the petitioner's good health prior to vaccination, the rapid progression of her GBS, the lack of alternative causes, and the consistency of her clinical course with the proposed mechanism. Finally, the court found that the timing of her symptom onset, approximately four days after vaccination, fell within the medically acceptable window for inferring causation (Althen Prong Three). Consequently, the court ruled that Ms. Byrd is entitled to compensation and directed the parties to proceed with developing proof of damages.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":0,"special_master":"Thomas L. Gowen","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":null,"petitioner_attorney_name":"Andrew Donald Downing","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Downing, Allison & Jorgenson; Downing, Allison, & Jorgenson","petitioner_attorney_location":"Phoenix, AZ","adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":null,"attorney_canonical_keys":"|andrew-downing|","firm_canonical_key":"downing-allison-and-jorgenson","package_title":"BYRD v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01476","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01476.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01476.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01476-0","title":"BYRD v. 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SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC RULING (Originally filed: 7/8/2024) regarding 89 Ruling on Entitlement Signed by Special Master Thomas L. Gowen. (ms) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2024-08-29","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01476/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01476-1/pdf","pdf_bytes":514337,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"docketText matches keep keyword 'ruling on entitlement'","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01476/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01476-1"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01476-2","title":"BYRD v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 06/20/2025) regarding 115 DECISION of Special Master - Interim Attorney's Fees. Signed by Special Master Thomas L. Gowen. (jjr) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2026-03-12","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-01476-cl-extra-11275241","title":"Byrd v. Secretary of Health and Human Services","docket_text":"Supplementary opinion from CourtListener cluster 10808498","date_issued":"2026-03-12","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"CL supplement: Byrd v. Secretary of Health and Human Services","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01476/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01476-cl-extra-11275241"}]}