{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_22-vv-00258","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_22-vv-00258-0","petitioner_identifier":"Myrtle Barrett","is_minor":0,"age_at_vaccination":85.0,"age_unit_raw":"years","vaccine_type":"Tdap","vaccination_date":"2021-07-21","condition_raw":"myasthenia gravis","condition_category":"other","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"denied","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2024-10-10","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-04-30T01:38:44.860943+00:00","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":1,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":92,"theory_of_causation":"Petitioner Myrtle Barrett, age 85, alleged myasthenia gravis (MG) following a Tdap vaccine on July 21, 2021. The claim was for an off-Table injury. Petitioner's expert, Dr. David Simpson, opined that the Tdap vaccine could cause MG through molecular mimicry, neurotoxic effect, or loss of self-tolerance, and that symptoms began within weeks of vaccination. Respondent's expert, Dr. Eric Lancaster, disputed the causal link, emphasizing the lengthy timeframe from vaccination to symptom onset, and questioned the proposed mechanisms. Medical records indicated symptom onset around October 21, 2021 (approximately 92 days post-vaccination), with Petitioner's affidavit claiming earlier onset. Both experts agreed that a typical window for vaccine-induced immune-mediated injuries is within 42 days. Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran found that the medical records were more persuasive than the affidavit and that the approximately 92-day delay was outside the medically acceptable timeframe for inferring causation, thus failing the third prong of the Althen test. Entitlement was denied. Petitioner's counsel was David Proffitt; Respondent's counsel was Naseem Kourosh. Decision date: October 10, 2024.","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2022-03-07","case_summary":"Myrtle Barrett, an 85-year-old woman, filed a petition on March 7, 2022, alleging that she developed myasthenia gravis (MG) as a result of receiving a Tdap vaccine on July 21, 2021. She also initially claimed a shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) but later abandoned this claim. The respondent argued that Barrett could not establish a medically acceptable temporal relationship between the vaccine and the onset of her MG symptoms, a key requirement for off-Table claims. Barrett's medical records indicated that her symptoms, including leg weakness and pain, first appeared approximately three months after vaccination, around October 21, 2021. While Barrett submitted an affidavit claiming earlier symptom onset, the court found the contemporaneous medical records to be more persuasive. Both parties' experts agreed that for vaccine-induced immune-mediated injuries, the typical window for symptom onset is within 42 days of vaccination. The court determined that the approximately 92-day delay between vaccination and the earliest documented symptom onset was too long to establish a medically acceptable temporal relationship. Consequently, the court denied entitlement and dismissed the case, finding that Barrett failed to meet her burden of proof for the third prong of the Althen causation test. The decision was issued by Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran on October 10, 2024. Petitioner was represented by David Proffitt of Proffitt & Cox, LLP, and Respondent was represented by Naseem Kourosh of the U.S. Department of Justice.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":0,"special_master":"Brian H. Corcoran","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":"Myrtle Barrett","petitioner_attorney_name":"David Proffitt","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Proffitt & Cox, LLP","petitioner_attorney_location":"Columbia, SC","adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":"2026-05-05 23:43:50","attorney_canonical_keys":"|david-proffitt|","firm_canonical_key":"proffitt-and-cox","package_title":"BARRETT v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_22-vv-00258","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_22-vv-00258.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_22-vv-00258.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_22-vv-00258-0","title":"BARRETT v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 09/12/2024) regarding 48 DECISION of Special Master Signed by Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran. (af) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2024-10-10","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_22-vv-00258/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_22-vv-00258-0/pdf","pdf_bytes":406046,"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-00258/USCOURTS-cofc-1_22-vv-00258-0"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_22-vv-00258-1","title":"BARRETT v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 10/30/2024) regarding 60 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"}]}