Margaret Schellhaas v. HHS - Influenza, Guillain-Barre Syndrome (2026)

Margaret Schellhaas alleged that she suffered from Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) after receiving an influenza vaccine on November 2, 2020, with symptom onset on November 3, 2020. She filed her petition on December 13, 2022.

The respondent argued that the GBS diagnosis was disputed, that an upper respiratory infection two weeks prior was a potential alternative cause, and that the one-day onset was too short to establish vaccine causation under the Althen prongs. Petitioner's experts proposed theories of molecular mimicry and a 'two-hit hypothesis' involving the prior URI and the vaccine, but the respondent's experts found these theories unpersuasive regarding the rapid onset and the diagnosis itself.

After multiple orders to show cause and opportunities to present evidence, including expert reports, the court found that petitioner had not carried her burden of proof. Specifically, the court noted that the proposed immunologic mechanisms did not persuasively explain an onset within one day of vaccination, and that the diagnosis of GBS was also called into question.

On August 19, 2026, Ms. Schellhaas filed a motion to dismiss her petition.

The court dismissed the case with prejudice for insufficient proof.