Teresa Aultman v. HHS - MMR, inflammatory polyarthropathy / seronegative rheumatoid arthritis (2025)

On September 3, 2021, Teresa Aultman filed a petition for compensation under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, alleging that the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) and/or influenza vaccines she received on October 1, 2018, caused her to develop chronic, disabling reactive arthritis and Sjogren’s Syndrome, later refined to inflammatory polyarthropathy or seronegative rheumatoid arthritis. Ms.

Aultman, then 47 years old, received the vaccines at her workplace. Approximately one week after vaccination, she sought emergency care for a rash and itching, reporting difficulty breathing.

She was assessed with a possible allergic reaction and treated with steroids. Her symptoms progressed to include joint pain, headaches, and back pain.

Over the following months and into 2019, she received treatment from various specialists, including rheumatologists, who offered differing opinions on her diagnosis. One rheumatologist, Dr.

Greg Eudy, diagnosed her with inflammatory polyarthropathy, possibly vaccine-triggered. Another rheumatologist, Dr.

Thao Tran, found no evidence of inflammatory arthritis. Respondent’s experts, Dr.

Mehrdad Matloubian and Dr. Andrew MacGinnitie, opined that Petitioner’s symptoms were not consistent with a vaccine-induced type III hypersensitivity reaction or reactive arthritis, and that her presentation lacked objective evidence of inflammation or autoimmunity.

They suggested her symptoms could be explained by other causes, such as degenerative changes or transient vaccine side effects. Petitioner’s causation expert, Dr.

Chander Raman, proposed a theory of “trained immunity” where the vaccines triggered an exaggerated innate immune response that could lead to autoimmune disease. Chief Special Master Brian H.

Corcoran denied entitlement, finding that while Ms. Aultman likely experienced a direct, transient reaction to the MMR vaccine, the evidence did not preponderantly support that this reaction caused a subsequent inflammatory polyarthropathy or that her condition met the Act's severity requirement of lasting more than six months.

The Special Master noted that claims of vaccine-caused rheumatoid arthritis, including seronegative RA, have generally not been successful in the program. Despite the denial of entitlement, the Special Master awarded Ms.

Aultman $178,766.60 in attorney's fees and costs, finding that her claim was brought in good faith and had a reasonable basis, as her initial post-vaccination reaction had evidentiary support and treaters found it difficult to ascertain an explanation for her issues. Petitioner was represented by M.

Clay Ragsdale, IV of Ragsdale LLC, and Respondent was represented by Alexa Roggenkamp of the U.S. Department of Justice.

The decision was issued on July 11, 2025, with a subsequent decision on November 17, 2025, finalizing the award for fees and costs.