{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_22-vv-00099","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_22-vv-00099-0","petitioner_identifier":"Barbara Sciortino","is_minor":0,"age_at_vaccination":82.0,"age_unit_raw":"years","vaccine_type":"influenza","vaccination_date":"2019-10-30","condition_raw":"polymyalgia rheumatica","condition_category":"other","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"denied","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2024-10-25","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-04-30T01:38:00.519348+00:00","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":1,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":32,"theory_of_causation":"Off-Table","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2022-02-01","case_summary":"Barbara Sciortino, an 82-year-old adult, received an influenza vaccine on October 30, 2019. She alleged that this vaccine caused her to develop polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). Approximately one month after vaccination, she began experiencing full-body pain, which progressed to include joint pain, stiffness, and difficulty walking. Her condition was diagnosed as PMR by a rheumatologist in January 2020. Ms. Sciortino presented medical records and expert reports, primarily from Dr. M. Eric Gershwin, arguing that vaccines can trigger PMR through an immune dysregulation involving cytokine production. Respondent, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, contested this claim, presenting expert testimony from Dr. Mehrdad Matloubian, who stated that the pathogenesis of PMR is not well understood, no specific causal antigen has been identified, and there is no reliable scientific evidence linking the flu vaccine to PMR. The court reviewed the evidence and legal standards, noting that PMR is not a recognized Table injury and thus requires proof of causation-in-fact under the Althen standard. The court found that Ms. Sciortino failed to establish the first Althen prong, that the flu vaccine can cause PMR. The court found Dr. Gershwin's theory to be speculative and similar to theories previously rejected in other cases. Dr. Matloubian's assessment, highlighting the lack of understanding of PMR's pathogenesis and the absence of a clear vaccine link, was found more persuasive. Consequently, the court denied entitlement to compensation, finding that the evidence did not preponderantly support a causal connection between the flu vaccine and Ms. Sciortino's PMR.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":0,"special_master":"Brian H. Corcoran","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":"Barbara Sciortino","petitioner_attorney_name":"Michael G. McLaren","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Black McLaren, et al., PC","petitioner_attorney_location":"Memphis, TN","adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":"2026-05-05 23:43:49","attorney_canonical_keys":"|michael-mclaren|","firm_canonical_key":"black-mclaren-jones-ryland-and-griffee","package_title":"SCIORTINO v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_22-vv-00099","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_22-vv-00099.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_22-vv-00099.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_22-vv-00099-0","title":"SCIORTINO v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 07/24/2024) regarding 29 DECISION of Special Master. Signed by Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran. (mva) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2024-10-25","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_22-vv-00099/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_22-vv-00099-0/pdf","pdf_bytes":347064,"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_22-vv-00099/USCOURTS-cofc-1_22-vv-00099-0"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_22-vv-00099-1","title":"SCIORTINO v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 10/31/2024) regarding 38 DECISION of Special Master - Fees. Signed by Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran. (af) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2025-01-08","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"skip","triage_reason":"fees-only decision (attorney compensation)","download_status":"skipped"}]}