{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01719","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01719-cl11393042","petitioner_identifier":"Taner Baylee Nguyen","is_minor":0,"age_at_vaccination":20.0,"age_unit_raw":"years","vaccine_type":"hepatitis B","vaccination_date":"2018-02-14","condition_raw":"Guillain-Barré syndrome","condition_category":"GBS","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"denied","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2026-06-22","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-07-11T02:13:45.229296+00:00","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":1,"dose_number":3,"time_to_onset_days":46,"theory_of_causation":"Off-Table","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2020-12-01","case_summary":"Taner Baylee Nguyen, born in 1998 and serving in the U.S. Army at the time, received his third dose of the hepatitis B vaccine on February 14, 2018. Approximately six weeks later, on March 31, 2018, he began experiencing difficulty walking, numbness, and tingling in his extremities, which were diagnosed as Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) with albuminocytologic dissociation. Mr. Nguyen filed a petition for compensation under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Program, alleging the hepatitis B vaccine caused his GBS. This was an off-Table claim, requiring him to prove causation. He presented expert testimony from Dr. David Simpson, who proposed molecular mimicry as the mechanism. The respondent, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, presented expert testimony from Dr. Brian Callaghan, who opined that there was no convincing evidence linking the hepatitis B vaccine to GBS. The court reviewed epidemiological studies, case reports, and expert opinions. While the Shaw study was inconclusive and the Geier studies were found unreliable due to flawed methodology, the court found that the case reports and Dr. Simpson's opinion lacked sufficient evidence to establish a reliable medical theory connecting the hepatitis B vaccine to GBS, particularly noting Dr. Simpson's lack of specific expertise in immunology and the general nature of his molecular mimicry argument. The court also found the evidence for a logical sequence of cause and effect to be thin, although the timing of onset (approximately five weeks) was deemed medically acceptable. Ultimately, the court denied entitlement to compensation, finding that Mr. Nguyen failed to meet his burden of proof for the first Althen prong (medical theory) by a preponderance of the evidence.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":0,"special_master":"Christian J. Moran","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":null,"petitioner_attorney_name":"Amy A. Senerth","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Muller Brazil, LLP","petitioner_attorney_location":"Dresher, PA","adjudicator_name":"Christian J. Moran","caption_people_backfilled_at":"2026-07-11 04:53:28","attorney_canonical_keys":"|amy-senerth|","firm_canonical_key":null,"date_of_birth":null,"vaccine_type_canonical":"Hepatitis B","condition_category_specifics":null,"fees_and_costs_usd":null,"attorney_unavailable_reason":null,"package_title":"Nguyen v. Secretary of Health and Human Services","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01719","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01719.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01719.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01719-cl11393042","title":"Nguyen v. Secretary of Health and Human Services","docket_text":"combined-opinion","date_issued":"2026-07-08","pdf_url":"https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/10925504/nguyen-v-secretary-of-health-and-human-services/","pdf_bytes":302324,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"courtlistener-opinion","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01719/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01719-cl11393042"}]}