{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513-4","petitioner_identifier":"Portia Exum","is_minor":0,"age_at_vaccination":30.56,"age_unit_raw":"years","vaccine_type":"Tdap","vaccination_date":"2018-08-20","condition_raw":"autoimmune hepatitis","condition_category":"hepatic","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"denied","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2025-09-17","extraction_version":"manual-supplement-redo-2026-05-normal43","extracted_at":"2026-05-05 00:26:54","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":2,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":68,"theory_of_causation":"Tdap and influenza vaccines on August 20, 2018, age about 30, alleged to cause autoimmune hepatitis with onset/abnormal liver presentation about 68 days later. DENIED after extensive review proceedings. Petitioner Portia Exum argued vaccination triggered autoimmune hepatitis through immune activation/molecular mimicry. Respondent disputed the medical theory, temporal relationship, and logical sequence. Chief Special Master Corcoran denied entitlement; Judge Armando O. Bonilla and later review proceedings addressed the special master's reasoning and ultimately left petitioner without compensation. Latest substantive public review opinion in this staged set was filed September 2025. No injury compensation awarded.","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2021-06-25","case_summary":"Portia Exum, a 30-year-old adult, received Tdap and MMR vaccines on August 20, 2018. She later developed autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), alleging the vaccines caused her condition. Her symptoms, including fatigue and nausea, began approximately two months after vaccination, with elevated liver enzymes detected on October 26, 2018. She received treatment for AIH, which included medication and monitoring. Petitioner presented expert testimony from Dr. Robert Gish, who theorized that the vaccines could have caused AIH through molecular mimicry and other immune activation mechanisms, citing various case reports. Respondent presented expert testimony from Dr. Jeffrey Crippin and Dr. Andrew MacGinnitie, who argued that the vaccines were not the cause of her AIH, pointing to other potential factors such as her travel history, anti-malarial medication, prior Epstein-Barr virus infection, and the idiopathic nature of AIH. The Chief Special Master initially denied her claim, finding she failed to establish causation. This decision was reviewed by the Court of Federal Claims, which remanded the case for further explanation. On remand, the Chief Special Master again denied the claim, concluding that Petitioner failed to establish that the vaccines could cause AIH (Althen prong one) and that the evidence did not demonstrate the vaccines actually caused her AIH (Althen prong two), citing the lack of contemporaneous evidence of a vaccine reaction, the presence of confounding factors, and the persuasive testimony of Respondent's experts. The Court of Federal Claims affirmed the denial, finding the Chief Special Master's reasoning to be well-supported and not arbitrary or capricious. Therefore, Portia Exum was not entitled to compensation.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":0,"special_master":"Brian H. Corcoran","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":"Portia Exum","petitioner_attorney_name":"Amber Diane Wilson","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Wilson Science Law","petitioner_attorney_location":"Washington, DC","adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":"2026-05-05 23:43:25","attorney_canonical_keys":"|amber-wilson|","firm_canonical_key":"wilson-science-law","package_title":"EXUM v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513-0","title":"EXUM v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 5/2/2024) regarding 68 DECISION of Special Master - Interim Attorney's Fees. Signed by Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran. (ag) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2024-05-28","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"skip","triage_reason":"fees-only decision (attorney compensation)","download_status":"skipped"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513-cl-extra-10735202","title":"Exum v. Secretary of Health and Human Services","docket_text":"Supplementary opinion from CourtListener cluster 10268612","date_issued":"2024-05-28","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"CL supplement: Exum v. Secretary of Health and Human Services","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513-cl-extra-10735202"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513-1","title":"EXUM v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 08/29/2024) regarding 74 DECISION of Special Master. Signed by Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran. (af) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2024-09-25","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513-1/pdf","pdf_bytes":400494,"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_21-vv-01513/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513-1"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513-2","title":"EXUM v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"**REDOCKETED 84 FOR PUBLICATION** JUDGE VACCINE REPORTED OPINION (PUBLIC VERSION) (reissued for publication of 82 JUDGE VACCINE OPINION). Signed by Judge Eleni M. Roumel. (abo) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2025-03-20","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513-2/pdf","pdf_bytes":644943,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"docketText matches keep keyword 'opinion'","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513-2"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513-3","title":"EXUM v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 05/27/2025) regarding 86 DECISION on Remand. Signed by Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran. (mva) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2025-07-08","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"skip","triage_reason":"no decision/ruling/opinion signal in docketText","download_status":"skipped"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513-cl-extra-11091098","title":"Exum v. Secretary of Health and Human Services","docket_text":"Supplementary opinion from CourtListener cluster 10624510","date_issued":"2025-07-08","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"CL supplement: Exum v. Secretary of Health and Human Services","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513-cl-extra-11091098"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513-4","title":"EXUM v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"JUDGE VACCINE REPORTED OPINION (PUBLIC VERSION) (reissued for publication of 93 JUDGE VACCINE OPINION, dated September 18, 2025). Signed by Judge Eleni M. Roumel. (jmc) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2025-09-30","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513-4/pdf","pdf_bytes":609225,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"docketText matches keep keyword 'opinion'","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01513-4"}]}