{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_99-vv-00160","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_99-vv-00160-cl6653608","petitioner_identifier":"John R. Schneider","is_minor":1,"age_at_vaccination":0.0027,"age_unit_raw":"years","vaccine_type":"Hepatitis B","vaccination_date":"1993-09-25","condition_raw":"neurologic injuries","condition_category":"encephalitis_encephalopathy","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"denied","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2005-01-12","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-04-30T14:31:24.291529+00:00","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":1,"dose_number":1,"time_to_onset_days":0,"theory_of_causation":"Petitioner alleged that a Hepatitis B vaccine administered to her son, John R. Schneider, on September 25, 1993, caused a permanent and totally disabling neurological disorder. The petition was filed in March 1999. Three theories were advanced: (1) Vaccine Table anaphylaxis/anaphylactic shock within four hours of vaccination; (2) off-Table demyelinating encephalopathy presenting as developmental delay in January 1994; and (3) injury from alleged phenylmethylsulphonyl fluoride (PMSF) in the vaccine. The Special Master denied compensation on September 8, 2004, for lack of supporting medical records or medical opinion. Anaphylaxis was rejected due to pre-existing irregular heartbeat, lack of prior exposure, and absence of recorded cardiovascular collapse. Demyelinating encephalopathy was rejected as petitioner's expert, Dr. John Tilelli, withdrew the diagnosis due to earlier onset of symptoms inconsistent with the condition, and respondent's expert, Dr. Mary Anne Guggenheim, found normal myelin patterns. The PMSF theory was rejected as unsubstantiated lay belief. Petitioner's motion for review was affirmed by Judge Wiese on January 12, 2005. The court found no procedural defects regarding counsel or experts, denied the discovery request for PMSF testing as beyond the Special Master's authority, and found the medical records did not support anaphylaxis. Petitioner's counsel was John R. Schneider, and respondent was represented by counsel. No compensation was awarded.","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"1999-01-12","case_summary":"On March 1999, John R. Schneider's mother filed a petition seeking compensation under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, alleging that her son suffered neurologic injuries as a result of receiving a Hepatitis B vaccine on September 25, 1993, the day after his birth. John was afflicted with a permanent and totally disabling neurological disorder for which no accepted medical diagnosis or biological cause had been determined. The petitioner, appearing before the special master without counsel by the time of the hearing, advanced three theories: first, that John suffered anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock within four hours of vaccination, which would be a Vaccine Table injury; second, that he suffered an encephalopathy characterized by demyelination, which first appeared symptomatically as developmental delay in January 1994; and third, that his condition was caused by phenylmethylsulphonyl fluoride (PMSF), a chemical agent alleged to be present in the vaccine. The special master denied compensation on September 8, 2004, finding a lack of supporting medical records or medical opinion for any of the theories. The anaphylaxis theory was rejected because the medical records showed an irregular heartbeat before vaccination, anaphylaxis typically requires prior exposure to an allergen and would be a dramatic cardiovascular-collapse event that would have been recorded and treated, and the vaccine was the first administration. The demyelinating encephalopathy theory failed because petitioner's expert, Dr. John Tilelli, withdrew the diagnosis after learning of additional facts indicating neurologic injury earlier than January 1994, which was chronologically inconsistent with the expected progression of demyelinating encephalopathy. Respondent's expert, Dr. Mary Anne Guggenheim, also testified that the medical records showed normal myelin patterns. The PMSF theory was rejected because the petitioner offered no medical or scientific evidence to support it, resting solely on unsubstantiated lay belief. Petitioner sought review in the Court of Federal Claims, arguing that the special master's decision was procedurally defective, that she had proceeded without counsel and with a hostile expert, that discovery had been improperly denied, and that the medical records supported anaphylaxis. On January 12, 2005, Judge Wiese affirmed the special master's decision. The court held that the petitioner had not preserved the counsel/hostile-witness argument before the special master and that, in any event, she had been given substantial time to find counsel and experts. The court also held that the requested PMSF testing would have required a scientific study rather than discovery of existing relevant evidence, and that the anaphylaxis claim was contradicted rather than supported by the medical records. No Vaccine Act compensation was awarded. Petitioner was represented by John R. Schneider, and respondent was represented by counsel. The Special Master's decision was affirmed by Judge Wiese.","is_minor_inferred":1,"is_pediatric_broad":1,"special_master":null,"petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":null,"petitioner_attorney_name":null,"petitioner_attorney_firm":null,"petitioner_attorney_location":null,"adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":null,"attorney_canonical_keys":null,"firm_canonical_key":null,"package_title":"Schneider v. Secretary, Department of Health & Human Services","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_99-vv-00160","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_99-vv-00160.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_99-vv-00160.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_99-vv-00160-cl6653608","title":"Schneider v. Secretary, Department of Health & Human Services","docket_text":"lead-opinion","date_issued":"2005-01-12","pdf_url":"https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/6770748/schneider-v-secretary-department-of-health-human-services/","pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"recovered via CL opinion 6653608 (html_with_citations)","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_99-vv-00160/USCOURTS-cofc-1_99-vv-00160-cl6653608"}]}