{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-02100","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-02100-0","petitioner_identifier":"E.R.A.","is_minor":1,"age_at_vaccination":null,"age_unit_raw":"years (minor - age not in source, verified)","vaccine_type":null,"vaccination_date":"2019-11-15","condition_raw":"vascular soft tissue mass and associated muscle dystrophy and atrophy","condition_category":"other","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"dismissed","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2023-09-11","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-04-30T01:36:11.537757+00:00","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":null,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":null,"theory_of_causation":"Petitioners alleged E.R.A. suffered a vascular soft tissue mass and associated muscle dystrophy and atrophy as a result of several vaccines administered on November 15, 2019. The theory of causation was \"Off-Table.\" Petitioners proceeded with a causation claim, which requires expert support. However, petitioners represented they could not meet the evidentiary standards and could not offer the required expert opinions to substantiate the claim. The public decision does not describe the specific vaccines administered, the onset of symptoms, specific medical findings, treatments, or the mechanism of injury. Petitioners filed a motion to dismiss, acknowledging they could not prove entitlement to compensation. Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran dismissed the petition on August 14, 2023, finding that petitioners could not meet the elements of a causation claim due to their inability to provide expert support. No award was made as the petition was dismissed.","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2021-10-28","case_summary":"On October 28, 2021, Leonardo Alcala Huerta and Justyce Alcala, on behalf of their minor child E.R.A., filed a petition seeking compensation under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. They alleged that E.R.A. suffered from a vascular soft tissue mass and associated muscle dystrophy and atrophy as a result of receiving several vaccines on November 15, 2019. The respondent, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, filed a Rule 4(c) Report on November 21, 2022, recommending that compensation was not appropriate. The petitioners were given a deadline to submit an expert report but failed to do so over an eight-month period. Subsequently, they filed a motion to dismiss the claim, stating that after an investigation of the facts and science relevant to the claim, they determined they would be unable to prove entitlement to compensation and that proceeding further would be unreasonable and would waste the resources of the Court, the Respondent, and the Vaccine Program. The petitioners acknowledged that a dismissal would result in a judgment against them, ending their rights in the Vaccine Program, but expressed a desire to preserve their right to file a civil action in the future. The court noted that dismissal at this stage is not uncommon and that the rules permit dismissal at a petitioner's request on terms the court considers proper. To be entitled to compensation, a petitioner must demonstrate either a \"Table Injury\" or that the injury was actually caused by a vaccine. The petitioners proceeded with a causation claim, which would have required expert support. However, they affirmatively represented that they could not meet the relevant evidentiary standards and could not offer the expert opinions required to substantiate the claim, thus failing to meet the elements of a causation claim. Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran dismissed the petition. The Clerk of the Court was ordered to enter judgment in accordance with the decision, unless a motion for review was filed.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":1,"special_master":"Brian H. Corcoran","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":null,"petitioner_attorney_name":"Diana L. Stadelnikas","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Maglio Christopher & Toale, PA (FL)","petitioner_attorney_location":"Sarasota, FL","adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":null,"attorney_canonical_keys":"|diana-stadelnikas|","firm_canonical_key":"maglio-christopher-and-toale","package_title":"ALCALA HUERTA et al v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-02100","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-02100.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-02100.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-02100-0","title":"ALCALA HUERTA et al v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 08/14/2023) regarding 28 DECISION of Special Master. Signed by Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran. (mva) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2023-09-11","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-02100/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-02100-0/pdf","pdf_bytes":246400,"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-02100/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-02100-0"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-02100-1","title":"ALCALA HUERTA et al v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 04/04/2024) regarding 34 DECISION of Special Master - Fees. Signed by Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran. (mva) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2024-04-29","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-02100-cl-extra-10735509","title":"ALCALA HUERTA v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"Supplementary opinion from CourtListener cluster 10268919","date_issued":"2024-04-29","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"CL supplement: ALCALA HUERTA v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-02100/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-02100-cl-extra-10735509"}]}