Int
he Un
it
edS
tat
esC
our
tofF
ede
ralC
laim
s
OFF
ICEOFSPEC
IAL MASTERS
No
.14
-1195V
F
il
ed:Ma
rch7,2017
** * * * * * * * * * * * * * **
SHANNONa nd WILLIAMPOWERS , *
Pa
ren
tsandNatur
alGuardiansofL.P
.,amino
r,*
* Specia
lM ast
erS ander
s
Pet
it
ioners
, *
* A
tto
rneys’FeesandCo sts
;S t
atu
teof
v
. * Limi
tat
ions;Equi
ta b
leT ol
ling
;Fir
st
* Symptomo rM an
ifest
ationofOnset
;
SECRETARYOFHEALTH * R ea
sonableBasi
s
ANDHUMANSERV ICES , *
*
Responden
t. *
** * * * * * * * * * * * * * **
Jame
sB.Blum e
nst
iel
,Blum en
st
ielFa
lvo,LLC,Dubl
in,OH
,forP e
ti
tione
rs.
AmyP
.Koko
t,Un
itedS
ta
tesD
epa
rtm
ento
fJu
st
ice
,Wa
shing
ton
,DC
,fo
rRe
spond
ent
.
DEC
ISIONDENY
INGATTORNEYS
’FEESANDCOSTS1
OnD e
cember12
,2014,Sha
nnona nd Wi
ll
iamPower
s(“Pe
ti
tione
rs”
)fi
ledapet
it
ionfor
2
compen
sat
ionund
ertheNa
tiona
lV a
ccineInju
ryProg
ram
,42U .S
.C.§300a
a-10
,ets
eq.( th
e
“Vac
cineAct
”or“Prog
ram”)
,onbehalfofthe
irmino
rch
ild
,L.P.Pet
.,ECFNo.1.
OnA p
ril8,2016
,Spec
ialMasterH amil
ton-F
ieldmandi
sm is
sedPet
it
ioners
’claimas
unt
imelyfil
ed.D ec
is
ion,ECFNo.51.P et
itione
rsthenmovedf o
ra nawa
rdofattorn
ey s
’fees
andcost
s. Mot.A t
t’
yF ee
s&Exp en
ses,ECFNo .55.A f
terca
refu
lc on
sid
era
tion
,th e
unde
rsigne
dh asfoundtha
tPet
it
ion
ers’f
ilinglackedareason
abl
eb as
isanddenie
sP eti
tione
rs’
mot
ionforfee
sa ndcost
s.
1
Thisd e
cisionsh a
llb ep o
stedont hew ebs
iteoftheU n
itedSta
tesCour
tofF ede
ralCl a
ims,ina c
cordanc
e
wi
ththeE -G ove
rnm entA ctof2002 ,Pub.L.N o
.1 07
- 347
,§2 05
,116Stat
.2 899
,2 913(codi
fiedas
amend edat44U .S.C.§35 01note(2012))
.A sprovidedbyV acc
ineRule1 8
(b)
,e a
c hpar
tyh as14d ay
s
wi
thinw hichtor equestreda c
tion“ofanyinformat
ionfurni
shedbytha
tp a
rty:(1)thatisatradesecr
etor
comm ercialorfinancialinsub st
anceandisp r
ivi
legedorconfi
dent
ia
l;or(2)tha
tincludesm ed
i c
alfi
lesor
simila
rfiles
,thed isclosur
eo fw h
ichwouldc ons
ti
tuteaclea
rlyunwar
rant
e dinv
asionofp r
ivacy.”
Vaccin
eRu l e18(b).
2
Na
tionalChi
ldhoodVac
cin
eIn
juryActo
f1 98
6,P
ubL
.N o
.9 9
-660
,100Sta
t.3755
.H er
eina
fte
r,fo
r
eas
eo fci
tat
ion
,allҤ
”re
fer
enc
estoth
eV ac
cineA
ctw
il
lbetothepe
rt
ine
ntsub
paragr
aphof42U .S
.C.§
300aa(2012
).
I
. FACTUALANDPROCEDURALBACKGROUND
A
.Med
ica
lRe
cord
s
A cc
ordingtoP e
ti
tioner
s’m ed
ica
lrecords,L.P
.’sphysic
iansob s
ervedbefo
reh e
rHPV
v
accina
tionsin2011thatsh ewas“[w]e
lldeveloped
,w el
lnou r
ished
,[ and]wel
lgroomed.”
P
et’
rs’Ex.22a t5,ECFNo .13-2
. Sheoccas
ion a
llysawD r
.LindaIskra,he
rprimarycar
e
p
rovide
r,forc ompla
int
ssu chasdermat
it
is
,h eadache
s,ph a
ryngi
ti
s,a ndurin
arytr
actin
fec
tions
;
a
ndL .P.w asbri
eflyhospi
tal
izedin2009for“ ep
isod
ica bdomina
lp a
in.”P et
’rs
’Ex.22at3 -
4;
P
et’
rs’Ex.23Ba t4 ,ECFNo .13-4.
OnF eb
ru a
ry19 ,2011,L.P
.,e leveny ea
rso ld,wasa dm i
ttedtoN at
ionw ideChild
r en
’s
3
Hospit
alfora bdom inalp a
inands evera
lo thersymp toms. Pe
t’rs
’Ex .22a t42.A fte
ra n
explora
torylap a
ros copy,L.P.w a
sd iagnos edwithan ecrot
i clef
tov a
rya ndrig h
tovariantor
sion
.
Pe
t’rs’Ex .23Ca t12 ,ECFNo .13 -5. Em ergencyphysiciansp e
rform edaleftoophorectomy,a
“de-to
rsion”ofh err ightovary
,a nda nincidenta
la ppendectomy .P e
t’rs’Ex.22a t42;P e
t’r
s’Ex.
23Ca t3,10 . Shew asdischa
rgedf romth ehospitalonF ebruary21,2011 .P et
’rs
’Ex .22at42 -
43.A th e
rfollow- upa ppointmen
ton M a
rch9,2011 ,L.P.“ [was]doingw e
ll
.”P et’
rs’Ex.23Ea t
15,ECFNo .13 -7
.D espi
teh e
rimp rovedst a
tus
,L .P.st
illh ad“occasionalpainafte
ru r
inat
ion,”
andh ermo the
rw as“ c on
cerneda boutstom achbloat
ing.”I d.
On M
arch30
,2011
,L.P
.re
ceiv
edhe
rfi
rs
tdoseofGard
asi
l,theva
ccina
tionati
ssuein
thi
scase.Pe
t’r
s’Ex.27Aa
t7,ECFNo.14
-1.L.P
.rec
eiv
edherseconddoseofG a
rdas
ilon
Augus
t8,2011. Id
.
A
tL.P.’sn e
xtreco
rdedm edica
lvi s
itonD ecemb er12,2011,shecomplainedof“right
sidepain2w ee kspr
iortoherper
iods”a nd“dai
lyblo a
tingafte
re a
ting.
”Id .at21-22. She
receivedherthirdG a
rdas
ildoseonthisd a
te.Id.at22 -23. OnJanuary9,2012,shecomp la
ined
ofbloa
ting,a bdominalpain
,andf a
tigu
e.P e
t’
rs’Ex.27Ba t6-7
,ECFNo .14- 2
. Thetrea
ting
physic
ianrecomm endedL.P
.c on
tinuewith Mir
alaxa ndo rd
eredap elv
icul
trasoundand
bloodwork.Id .at7. Thebloodworkresul
tsw e
r ewithinnorm a
llimits
.Id.at6,13.
L
.P.didno tseeano
therp rovid e
runtilAugus
t31 ,2012,whensh ev
isi
tedD r.Kimb erly
Shepherd
,a nOB /GYN .Pet
’rs’Ex .26a t13 ,ECFNo .13-13.H e
rchiefcomplain
tatthisv is
it
wasbloat
ing,a lthoughD r
.Sh epherdno tedtha
tshea ppear
edw el
lnou r
ish
eda ndd e
v e
loped.Id.
at13-14.L .P.r
eturnedforafollow -upvisitonD ec
emb er10,2012
.Id .at10-12.L .P
.r eport
ed
noa bdominalp ainoranyothersymp tomsdu r
ingthi
sv i
sit
.Id.at10-11
. Oney earlat
er,on
Decemb e
r27 ,2013,L.P.vis
itedD r.Sh epherdfo
rh e
ra nnua
lv i
si
tw i
thcomp l
aintsofcramp ing
.
Id.at9.
3
Th
esesymp
tomsal
soi
ncl
udednau
sea
,vom
it
ing
,abdom
ina
lte
nde
rne
ssw
ithp
alp
at
ion
,an
dbu
rninga
fte
r
u
rin
ation
.Pe
t’r
s’Ex
.23Cat2.
2
OnF ebruary10
,2014,L.P
.vis
itedtheemergen
cyroomw i
thdy sur
ia4andw as
di
sch a
rg e
donth es ameday
.P et
’rs
’Ex.27Ba t15. Twodayslate
r,L.P.vis
itedtheeme rgen
cy
rooma g a
inw i
thth esamesymptomsandw asdis
charg
edonth esamed ay.Id.at21.L .P.then
soug h
ttreatmentattheemer
gencyroomonJun e11,2014fo
r“ cons
istentheadach
esfortwo
months
,p ainincreas
ing
.”P e
t’
rs’Ex.27Da t2-3
,ECFNo .14-4. Emerg e
ncyroomphy sician
s
di
ag nosedh erwithchron
icheada
cheandtreat
edh e
rwitham igr
ainec ock
tai
l.Id.at5-7.
L.P.soug httrea
tm en
tov erth efo
llowingmon thsforav a
ri e
tyo fc ondi
tion sincluding
“heada
c hes
,b lurryvis
ion,m igra
ines,opticdiscabnorm a
lit
ies
,f atigue,ge nera
liz edpain,p e
lvi
c
pa
in,urinaryp ain,overac
tivebladder,ir
rit
ablebow elsyndrom e,h ear
tp a
lp it
ation s
,a ndjoint
pa
in.”D ec
ision3 -4(ci
tat
ion som i
tted)
.I nthef a
llof20 14
,L .P.b egantos e
eD r.D eM io
,a
pr
im a
ryc arep roviderwhosp eci
alizesintreat
ingchronictick
- bornein fe
ctionsa ndAu tism
Spec
trumD i
so rder.P e
t’r
s’Ex .24,ECFNo .13 -9;Pet
’rs’Ex.35a t3,ECFNo .39 -1
.D r.
DeMio’sreco rdsa r
elargelyil
legib
le,bu tm ed
icalrecordsfromN ationwid eCh ildren
’ sHo sp
ita
l
re
fertoD r.D eM io’srecordsandind ica
tethat
,fromNov emb er2014toJ a nuary2015 ,D r.
DeMiod iagno sedL.P.w i
tha nimmun ed e
fici
encydisord e
r,m etabolicdisorder,e nceph a
lopa
thy,
ir
ri
tab
lebow elsy ndrome,andLym ed is
ease
.P et
’rs
’Ex .23Ea t12 ,ECFNo .13 - 7
;P et’rs
’Ex.
24Aat1 .
Usingthism edi
c a
lhis
toryassuppo rt
,P et
it
ion e
rsf il
edthei
rp e
tit
iononD ecember12,
2014.P e
t.1 .P e
ti
tionersal
legedthatL.P .beg ande v
elopingc omp
lica
tions
,in c
luding“s
tom ac
h
pa
in,bloa t
ing,feel
ingfull
,n au
seateda ndb ladderinfec
tion-l
ikesymptom s
, ”af
terrece
ivinghe
r
fi
rstHum nP
a api
llom av
irus(“HPV ”)v accina
tion( “Gardas
il”)on Mar
c h30,2011.Id .at1.
Theyfurthera l
legedthatL.P
.’sseconda ndthirdHPVv a c
cinat
ions
,adm inis
ter
edonAug us
t8,
2011andD ecemb e
r12,2011 ,exacerbatedh erprevioussymp tomsandc ausednewsymp toms
5
includ
ing“ insomnia,nigh
tsw ea
ts,d aysw e
ats
,andc h
ill
s,”amongo thers
. Id
.
B
.Mo
tiontoD
ism
iss
OnJuly21,2015,Respondentfi
l eda Mo tiontoD ismissP e
tit
ioners’Claim
. Mo t
.
Di
smiss,ECFNo .38.I nhis Mo
tion,R espond enta rguedthatthec a
seshou ldbedism
i ssed
becau
seofP et
it
ioners
’inabi
li
tytocl e
arlyd e
fin eth einjurysuffe
r edbyL .P.andbecau
s etheir
pe
tit
ionw asunt
im e
ly.Id.at4- 7
.R e
spond entc la
im e
dth atP e
ti
tionersdidnotall
egea
“compensab
le,m ed
ical
ly-r
ecognizedin
ju ry”suf f
icienttop rovec ausa
tion,and,“[
i]nanye ven
t,
”
theyfi
ledthei
rpeti
tion“overninemon thsafterth elim i
tat
ionsp er
iodh ade xp
ired
.”Id.a t6.
Pet
itione
rssubs e
quent
lyfi
le dmo r
em edi
calreco
rdsa ndanopin
ionlett
erfromD r
.
D
eM io
.P et
’rs’Ex
.35 -36
,ECFNo s.39-1,39- 2
.I nth
isle
tte
r,D r
.D eMiow rot
e“ i
tismy
d
iagno
sistha
ttheHPVs er
ies[L.P
.]receivedisthem a
jorcaus eo
fh e
rprob
l ems.” Pe
t’
rs’Ex.35
a
t1.H eopinedtha
t“ [
t]hesequen
c eofe ven
tsdu r
ingandaftertheHPVv accina
tionse
rie
s...
a
longwiththete
sts &hercours
einr esponsetotreatmen
tduringthi
stimefromth edoc
tors
,
4
Dy
sur
iai
sdef
ineda
spain
ful
,ord
iff
icu
ltu
rin
at
ion
.Do
rla
nd’
sIl
lus
tra
tedM
edi
calD
ic
tio
nar
y
(
“Dor
land
’s”
)585(32ded
.2012)
.
5
A
lthoug
hP e
tit
ione
rsa
lleg
edtha
tL.P
.’ss
eco
nda n
dthi
rdGarda
si
lva
cci
nat
ion
sex
ace
rba
tedh
er
symptoms
,theydidno
tpursu
easign
if
ica
ntagg
rava
tio
ncl
aim.SeeP
et1.
3
show[L.P.’s
]sever
ephy s
iolog
icdecl
ine,andthi
salsorulesouto the
ret
iologi
es[otherthan
vacc
inec a
usat
ion]
.”Id .D r
.D eMioexpla
inedthat
,ino thercasesofvacc
ineinju
ry,the
combinat
ionof“aluminum &thevira
lDNA ”intheHPVv ac
cin eca
used“phys
iolog[ie
s]”
simi
lartoL.P.
’scondi
tion.Id.F o
rm edic
alsupportofthisopinionle
tt
er,Pet
it
ionerssubmit
ted
anart
icleindi
cat
ingthatHPVDNAw asfoundinthepo stmor
t em“ b
loodandsplenicti
ssue”ofa
youngwom a
nwhod iedsix mon
thsaf
terrece
ivingtheHPVv accine.Pet
’rs’Ex.42a t1,ECF
No.48-1
.
OnA ug us
t6 ,2015,P etit
ion ersfiledth ei
rr espons etoR espond ent’s Mo t
ion.P et’r
s’
Mem .Contra.
,ECFNo .42 .P eti
tion ersc on cededth a
tth eirp e
titionw a
sun tim e
lybu targ uedthat
equitab
letoll
ingshou ldapp lya ndp r eserveth ei
rc laim.Id .at7 - 11.P et
ition er
sa ssertedthatthey
werethevic t
im so fa“m isreprese nt
ationo rom iss
ion ”th atcre a
t eda n“e xt
r aordinary
ci
r cumstance”thatw arrantedth ea pplic a
tiono fe quitabletolling.Id .at9 -10 .P e
ti
tion e
rs
specif
ical
lyh ighlightedthatL .P.
’ strea
tingphy siciansto ldL.P .a ndh erfam ilyth a
th er
symp tomsw ere“ pos
t-operat
iv ec omp l
ic ations”toh e
roop hore c
tomy ,a ndP et
itionersreliedupon
thisinform a
tion.Id.a t4,6,9 .F ur
th ermo re,P e
tit
ion ersstate dth eydiscov eredin2014th atth e
Gardasi
lb at
chf romwh ichL .P.w a
sv ac cinatedw as“ foundtoh av eac ontam in a
ntini tcausing
injurytop eopleinm anyc ountr
i esaroundth eworld.”Id .at10 - 11.P et
ition er
sa sser
t edthatthi
s
fact
,comb in edw iththem isdiag nos
i sofL .P.’
sc ondition,re quire dthea pplicat
iono fe quit
a bl
e
toll
ing.Id.a t13.P e
tit
ion er
sa lsoa rgue dth atD r
.D eM io’sop inionl e
tterd emon s
tra
t edc ausa
tion
be
tw eenL.P.
’ sG ardasi
lv acc
in at
ion sandh ercondition. Id .at12 .
Responden
tfi
ledhisR ep
lyonAug ust25
,2015.R esp
’tReply
,ECFNo .47.H ea
rgued
thatP e
tit
ioners
’argumentfo
re qui
tabl
etol
lingwasanatt
empttoinse
rtadiscoveryrul
eintothe
VaccineA ct’
ssta
tut
eoflimit
at
ion s
. Id.a
t3 -4
.R espond
entci
tedtheFede
r a
lCir c
uit
’sre
ject
ion
ofthisargum en
tinCloe
rv.S e
c r
etaryofHeal
thandHum anServ
icesa ndarguedthatequ
itable
tol
lingw a snotwar
ran
ted.Id.at4( c
it
ing654F.3d1322,1344(Fed
.C i
r.2011))
.
C
. Sp
ecia
lMa
ste
rHam
il
ton
-Fi
eldm
an’
sDe
cis
ion
OnA p
ri
l8 ,2016,Sp ec
i a
lM asterH amilton -F
ieldm angrantedR e
spond e n
t’s Motiona nd
dismis
se dP et
it
ion er
s’cla
ima suntim ely.D ecision6 -7. Specia
lM as
terH amilton-F
ieldm anh e
ld
thatPet
ition e
rs’claimw asno tfil
e dw ithin“ 36mon thsaft e
rthed a
teofth eo ccur
renceo fth e
fir
stsymp tomo rm an
ifes
tat
iono fon set[ofth ea llegedva cc
ineinjury]
.”Id.a t5(quoting§
16(a)
(2)).I no rderforPet
itioners’claimtob etim e
ly,Spe c
ialM aste
rH amilton-Fie
ldm anh eld
,
“thefi
rstsymp tomo rmani
f es
t a
tiono fon set[o fL .P.’
sc ondit
ion] musthaveo ccurr
ednoe ar
lie
r
thanD ecemb er12,2011,”36mon thsp riortoth efil
ingo fP e
ti
tioners
’claim.Id .at6. Sp e ci
al
Maste
rH am i
lton-Fieldmanemph asizedth atthep recis
ed ateofon se
tw as“un clear
”fromth e
medica
lr ecordsandsuppo r
tingdo cum entation. Id .P e
ti
tion e
rs’aff
idavi
tspl acedtheon setof
Pet
itioners’symp tom son M arch30,2011 ;how ever
,P e
titione
rs’m edica
lr e
c ordsprovid eda
rangeofd atesf o
ron se
tfromA ugusttoO ctob ero f2011.Id .R egardle
ss,botho ftheset im e
framesp la
ce dthefil
ingofP e
tit
ion e
rs’c laimou tsidethest a
tut
eo flimi
tat
ions.Id .
Specia
lM as
terHamil
ton
-Fie
ldm andidno
tagreewi
thP e
ti
tionerstha
tequ
itab
letol
ling
shou
ldapplytoth
eirca
se.Id.Spec
ia
lM a
sterHami
lton
-Fie
ldmanfoundth a
tPet
it
ionersw e
re,in
ef
fec
t,t
ryingtoimput
ead i
scov
eryrul
eintotheVacc
ineProgr
amth roughtheus
eofe qu
itab
le
4
to
lling
.Id.( “
[Pet
it
ioners
’argum ents
]simplyig
nor[
e]th eholdingofCloer,th atthedateofthe
fi
rstsymptomo rm an
ifes
tat
iono fonse
t‘doesno
td epe
ndonwh enap et
ition e
rkn ewo r
reasonab
lyshouldhadknowna nyth
ingadver
seaboutherc ondi
tion
.’”(quo tingCloerv.Sec
’yof
Hea
lth &Hum anServs
.,654F .3d1322,1339(Fed
.C i
r.A ug.5 ,2011))
). Sp ec
i a
lM ast
er
Hamilton-F
ieldmanh e
ldP e
ti
tioners
’knowledgeofam isdi
ag nosi
sis“irrelevant”totr
igger
ing
thesta
tuteoflimi
ta
tions
.Id.a t7( c
it
ingC
loer,654F.3da t1339 )
.P eti
tion er
sd idnotappea
lthe
di
sm is
sal
.
D
.Mo
tionfo
rAt
torn
eys
’Fe
esandCo
sts
OnJune14,2016
,Peti
tio
ner
sfi
leda Mo
tionfo
rA ttorn
ey’sFeesandExpense
s. Mo
t.
At
t’yF e
es &Expenses
,ECFNo .55.Pet
it
ione
rsrequ
ested$15,603
.75inatto
rney
s’fee
sand
cost
sfor69.35hoursofwork
,atanhour
lyra
teof$225.00.Id.P e
ti
tion
ersal
sorequ
est
ed
$1
,997.20forl
it
igat
ioncos
ts
,forato
ta
lreque
stof$17,600.95
.Id .
Respond entfi
ledhisOppo s
itiontoP et
it
ioners’ MotionforA ttorneys’FeesandCo st
son
Augu s
t3,2016 . Opp ’n
,ECFNo .57 .R espondentobjectedtoaw ardingP etit
ione
rsattorn
eys’
feesa ndcost
sa sth e
rew asnor eason ab
leb as
isforP e
tit
ion ers
’cla
im .Id .a t3.R esponden
tcite
d
theV ac
cineA ctthatal
low sforad iscre
tion a
ryaw ardoff eesandc os
t stoanun success
ful
pe
titionerif“thesp ec
ialm as
terorc ou r
td e
t e
rminesth a
tthep et
it
ionw a
sb rough
ting oodfai
th
andth er
ew asar easonablebas
isfo rthec l
aimfo rwhi chthep e
ti
tionw asb rough
t.”Id.at3
(c
iting§15 (e)
( 1)
).R espondentdidno tcon te
sttheg oodfaithbasisfo rPetit
ione
rs’f
iling
.See
generall
yid .R espondentarguedth atPeti
tioner
s’claiml ackedar easonabl eba
sisfortwo
reasons.
Fi
r st
,Peti
tioner
sfailedtoprovideevidence“ tos a
tis
fyth eA c
t’sre
asonableb a
sis
st
and a
rd.”Id .R espondentasser
tedthatPetit
ionersf ai
ledtoid en
ti
fy“ apar
ticu
larinjury
purpor
tedlyc a
usedby[ thevaccina
tions]
,insteadlis
tingnof ew erthanninesymptom s.... ”Id.
Thesesymp tom s
,mo reover
,R espondentargue d
,w ereno tconn ec
tedbyar e
liab
lem ed
i ca
ltheory
tothev a
ccineitse
lf.Id.S econd,R espondentargue dthatPet
itioner
s’cla
iml ack
sar e
a sonab
le
basi
sb e
ca usei
tw asuntimelyfiled
.Id .at5.R espond entcl
aim edtha
tP e
tit
ioner
sshou ldh ave
knownth attheirpet
it
ionw a
sun t
im e
lywh e nfi
led,a ndthisfac
tp rec
ludesareason a
bleb as
isfor
thei
rclaim .Id.at5-6
.R espondentres
tatedthatP e
titioner
s’arg umen
tinvokinge qu
itabletol
ling
wasonlya natt
emp ttoapplythediscoveryrule,“whi chisnotp ermiss
ible
.” Id.at5.
Pet
it
ion e
rsfi
ledthei
rr e
plyonAug u
st11,2016.R eply,ECFNo .58. Theyobjec
tedto
Re
spond en
t’sconclus
ionthatPet
it
ioners
’claimlacke
dg oodf ai
thandar ea
sonab
leb as
i.6 Id
s .
Pe
ti
tioners
’c ounse
larguedtha
th i
sclien
ts’pet
it
ionw a
sfileding oodfai
thbyreci
tingin
na
rrativeformP e
tit
ione
rs’ini
tia
lcal
ltoh im.Id.a
t2-3.P et
itione
rs’counse
lsta
tedthathe
re
al
i zedthe“36-monthlimi
tat
ion”forthelas
tv ac
cin
ew as“ onlyfourdaysaway
, ”andhe
ob
tainedaffidavi
tsandfi
ledthep e
ti
tion“onedayshortofthe36 -monthper
iodfromthe
De
cemb er12,2011injec
tion.” Id
.at3 -4
.
6
Pe
ti
tion
ersa
rguedtha
tthe
irc
laimme
tboths
tand
ard
s,“
goodfa
ith”and“
rea
son
abl
eba
sis
,”a
lthoug
h
R
esponden
tonlycha
lle
ngedth
erea
son
abl
eb a
siso
fth
efi
ling
.Se eOp
p’n3-4
.
5
P e
tit
ion e
rsth e narg u
edth a
ttheirp e
ti
tionw asfiledonar ea
son ab
leb asi
sbyr e
itera
ting
thei
ra rg um entfore quitabletol
ling.Id.a t6
.P e
tition e
r sadd edthat“ an
yattorney...whod id
notf
ileth eP et
it
ionb eforethe36 -monthe xp
irat
ionfo rth ethr eeG ardasi
lshots...wou ldb e
expose dtoal ega
lm alpractic
esu i
t.”Id .P e
tit
ion ersr e
st a
te dth earg umentthatP et
it
ion er
s’
trea
tingphy sici
ans’m isdiagnosesofL .P.const
ituteda n“ extraordinarycircum s
t an
c e
”fo rw h
ich
equi
tabl etol
lingshou ldapp ly
.Id .P e
tit
ionersalsoe xpa nde dth e
irp r
iorargum entfor
“extraordina rycir
c um stances.
”Id .at8 -9. Noton lyw a stheG a
rdasilvaccineL .P
.r ece
iv ed
“con
t am inate d
,”Petitionersclaim ed
,bu tG a
rdasil’sm anufactur er
,M erck
,f a
iledtow arn
Pe
tit
ion erso fthis“c ontam ina
tion.” Id.at8. Thi sfailuretow arnc ons
ti
tuteda n“ omission,
”
Pe
tition ersa sse
rted,th a
tw ar
rantedequ i
tabl
etolling.Id .F in a
lly,Peti
tioners
’R e p
lyattached
ar
tic
l e
sw ithquo te
sf romfo rmerM e
rckphy sic
ia nsa ndr esear cherssp e
akingc r
itica
llyofM erc
k,
Gard
a s
il,a ndv accine sg ener
ally
. ECFNo s
.58 -1to58 -11.
I
I. STANDARDSFORADJUD
ICAT
ION
Whenap eti
tionerinth eV acc
ineP rogramdo esnotp revai
lonh isorhercla
im ,asp ec
ial
mas
term ay aw ardattorneys’feesando therc o
st sif“thepet
itionw asbrough
ting oodfa
itha nd
the
rew asar ea
son ableb as
isforwh ichth epet
itionw asbroug h
t.Ӥ15 (e
)(1)
;Sebeliusv.Cloer,
133S.Ct .1886,1893(2 013). TheV accineA cts ta
tuteoflim i
tat
ionsforb
idsap eti
tion“aft
erthe
expi
rat
iono f36mon thsafterth
ed ateofth eocc urrenceofth efi
rs
tsymp tomo rm anife
sta
tiono f
onse
toro fthesignif
ic an
ta ggra
v a
tionofsu c
hin jury.
Ӥ16 (a)(2
);Cloerv.Sec’yofH eal
th &
HumanS ervs
.,654F .3d1322 ,1336 -37(F ed
.C ir.2011 )
. How eve
r,equi
tabletol
lingm aya pply
totheV acc
ineA ctstatut
eo flimita
tions
,b a
sedupon“ ex
traordina
rycircumst
an ce
s. ”Waxv.
Sec
’yofH ea
lth &HumanS ervs
.,No .03 -2830V ,2012 WL3867161 ,at*3(F ed
.C l.Spec.M str
.
Aug
.7,2012 ).
A
.Good F
aithandR
easonab
leBa
sis
“Goodf ai
th”isasub jec
tiv
es tanda
rd.Hamrickv.Sec
’yo fH e
alth &HumanS ervs.,No .
99
- 683V,2007 WL479152 ,at*3(F ed.Cl
.Spec.M s
tr.Nov.19,2007). Ap e
ti
tione
ra ct
sin
“goodfaith”ifshehonestlybel
ievesthatavacc
ineinju
ryo ccur
red.Turn e
rv.Sec’
yofH ea
lth &
Hum anServs
.,No .99- 544V,2007 WL4410030 ,at*5(Fe d
.C l
.Sp ec
.M s
tr
.Nov.30,2007 ).
Re
sponde ntdoesnotcontesttha
tthep et
it
ionwasfil
eding oodfai
th,andth e
rei
snoe vidence
tha
tthisp e
tit
ionw asbroug h
tinbadf ai
th.Ithe
refo
refindthatthepet
itionwasbroughting ood
fa
ith.
Re
spond e
ntdo e
s,how ever,conte
stthereasonabl
eb as
isforthi
sp e
tit
ion
. TheF e
dera
l
Ci
rcui
th asno tinte
rpret
ed“ r
e asonab
l ebas
is,
”orp rovidedanyguidanceastohowp et
it
ione
rs
sa
tisf
ythereason ab
leb a
sisstandard.Chuisanov.S e
c’yo fHeal
th &HumanS erv
s.,116F ed
.Cl
.
276,285(2014 )(c
it
ingW oodsv.S ec’yofH ea
lth &Hum anServ
s.,105F ed
.C l
.148(2012)
).In
theabsenceofg uidance
,specialm as
t e
rshavetakendifferen
tapproache
s.Silv
av.S e
c’yof
Heal
th &Hum anS e
r v
s.,No .10 -101V,2012 WL2890452 ,at*8-10(Fed
.C l
.Sp e
c.M s
tr
.June
22,2012)
,mot.fo rr ev
.de n
ied,108F ed
.Cl.401(2012 )
.
6
Rece n
td ecis
ion sh avee xamine dwh ethera nye v
id en cesuppo r
ts“ thec la
imfo rwh ichthe
pe
titionw asb roug h
t.” Th est a
tute’
su seo fth ephr as
e“ reason ab
leb asisfo rw hichth ep e
tit
ion
wasb roug ht”isc onsi
st entw i
tho the
rpo r
tion softh esta
tuteth atrequireth ep et
it
iontob efiled
wi
the vid ence .S eeChu isanov .S ec
’ yofH eal
th &Hum anS erv
s.,No .07 -452V ,2013 W L
6234660 ,a t*8 -10(F ed.C l.Sp ec
.M s
t r
.O ct.25,2013 ),mo t
.fo rrev.d enied,116F ed
.C l.276
(2014 ). Sp ecia
lm as
te rsshouldlooktoth e“ tota
li
t yofth ecircum s
t ances ”wh enr eviewing
evid en cefo rar easona blebasis
.Chu isano,116F ed.Cl.a t286 . Eviden ceth a
ti srelevanttothis
inqu iry m ayin cludem ed
icalrec o
rds,a ffida vi
tsfromp e
r c
ip ien
tw itnesse s
,a ndop inionsfrom
re
t ain ede xp e
rts.S ee42U .S.C.§300 aa- 11(c).Inc ons
id eringtheto ta
lityo fcirc umstances,
facto rstob ee xamine da re“‘thefactu a
lb asis
,them edica
lsuppo r
t,a ndju risdic
tion a
lissues,’and
thec ir cum sta n
c e
sund erwh ichap eti
tioni sfiled
.”Chu isano,116F ed
.C l
.a t288(quo t
ing Di
Rom av .S ec ’
yo fH ealth&Hum anS ervs. ,No .90 -3277,1993 WL496981 ,at*1(F ed.Cl.Sp ec
.
Ms
tr.N ov.18 ,1993 ))
.“Th eburd e
ni sonth epeti
tionertoa ffirmat
iv elyd emon stratea
reason ab
l eb asi
s.”M cK ellarv.S ec
’yo fH e al
th &Hum anS e rvs
.,101F e d
.C l
.297 ,305(2011 )
,
decisiononr emandv a cated,2012 WL1884703(M ay3 ,2012 ). Ac laim m ayh avear eason a
ble
basise veni fitisuntim elyfiled.Chu isano,116F ed
.C l
.at288( citingClo erv.S ec’yofH ea
lth
&Hum anS e rvs
.,675F .3d1358 ,1359 - 61,1364(F ed
.C ir
.2012 )
). How ever
,a nun timely
pe
titionc a nla ckar e
a son ab
leb asi
swh en“ [a]reviewo fth er e
levantc asel awa nd[ the]m edical
reco rdsshou ldh aveal ertedp e
ti
tionersa ndth ei
rcoun selth atthi
sc asew asun t
im e
ly.”Somo sot
v
.S ec’ yofH e a
lth &HumanS ervs
.,120F ed.C l
.716 ,721(2015 )
.
B
.Sta
tut
eofL
imi
tat
ion
s
Thestatu
teo flimita
tionscontainedwith
intheV a cc
ineA ctr
eads“nop e
tit
ionm ayb e
fi
ledforc ompensationund ertheProgramforsuchinjuryafte
rth eexpi
rat
ionof36mon th
safte
r
thedateoftheo ccurrenceofthefi
rstsymptomo rmani
f e
stat
iono fonsetorofthesig
nif
i ca
nt
aggr
a v
ationofsu chinjury.
Ӥ16 (a)
(2)(emph a
sisadd e
d).T h eVacc
ineA c
tdo esnotconta
ina
di
scoveryrule
,e xpl
i c
itorimp li
cit
,wh erethest
atut
eo flimit
ationsbeg
insoncethepeti
tioner
knowsth a
theralleg edinju
ryw a
sc au
s e
dbyav acc
ine.C loe
rv .Sec
’yofH eal
th &Hum an
Ser
vs.,654F .3d1322 ,1336 -37(Fed.Cir.2011)
.
Equi
tabl
etol
lingisg e
n era
llyavai
lab
leinV acc
ineA c
tlit
igat
ion.Id .Itm ayb eavai
la b
le
whenap e
tit
ione
rc a
nshow“ fore xample
,[heorsh e]hasbeenthevic
timo fafraud,o rof
dur
ess
.”Id .at1344. Equ
itab
l etol
lingcanapplywh entheoppo s
ingpartyc omm itsfraudagainst
thecl
aim an
t.SeeId
.at1344-45( ci
tingBa
ile
yv.G lover,88U.S.342,349 -50(1 874)(“Toho ld
tha
tbyc onceal
ingafraud
,orbyc omm i
tt
ingaf raudinam annertha
titcon ceal
edi tse
lfunti
l
sucht
im easthepar
tyc ommi
ttingthefraudc ouldpleadthes
tatuteo
flim ita
tionstop rote
ctit
,is
tom akethelaww h
ichw asdesignedtopreventfraudthem e
ansbywh ic hitism adesu cce
ssful
andsecure
.”)(emphas
isadded)).
Fol
low ingIrwinv.De pa
rtm e
ntofVe
teransAf
fai
rs,498U.S.89,96(1990 )andPacev.
DiGugle
ilmo,544U .S.408
,418(2005 )
,theFede
ralCir
cui
th a
sh e
ldthat
,forequitab
letol
lingto
apply,apet
itionermust“[e
stabl
ish]twoel
em en
ts
:(1)tha
t[she
]h a
sb eenpursu
ing [h
er]r
ights
di
ligen
tly
,a nd(2)tha
tsom eextrao
rdina
ryci
rcumstan
ce”suchas“def
e c
tiv
epl e
a d
ing,fra
ud,or
dures
s...stoodinth eway.
”W a
xv.S ec
’yofHeal
th &Hum anServs
.,No .03 -2830V,2012 WL
3867161,a
t*3 ,*10(F ed
.Cl.Spec.M st
r.Aug
.7,2012).“Extr
aord
inaryci
rcum stanc
es”are
7
s
itua
tion
sthataremor
ethanunusua
l;th
eyare“uniqu
e ”and“ra
re”inthei
roccur
rence
.M oj
icav.
S
e c
’yofH ea
lth &HumanServ
s.,102Fed.Cl
.96,100- 01(2
011)(f
indingequ
itab
leto
llingwher
e
p
eti
tione
r’spet
it
ionwaslo
sttw
i c
ebya“ [w]
ell
-es
tabl
ishedandw e
ll-known”cou
rie
rservic
e).
Specia
lm as
tershavefoundtha
te qu
itab
leto
llingm ayalsoapplybas
e duponm enta
l
incapac
ita
tion
.G rayv.Se
c’yofH eal
th &HumanS e
r v
s.,No .15-146V,2016 WL787166(F ed
.
Cl
.Spe c
.M str
.Fe b
.4,2016);Hodgev.Se c
’yofH e
alth &Hum anS er
v s
.,No .09-453V,2015
WL9685916(F ed.Cl.Spec
.M str
.D ec
.21,2015). How ev
er,equi
tableto
ll
ingisnotav a
ila
bleto
apet
itione
r“ duetoun aw
arenessofacausall
inkbetw e
ena nin
juryanda dmini
str
ationofa
vacc
ine....”Cloer,654F .3dat1345.
I
II. D
ISCUSS
ION
Uponrevi
ewofthere
cordsandthepar
tie
s’mo t
ions
,Idono tf
indtha
tP e
ti
tione
rs
demons
tra
tedarea
sonab
leba
sisfo
rthei
rclaim
,no rdoIfindth
eirargumen
tstha
te qu
ita
ble
to
ll
ingappl
iespe
rsua
sive
.Forthefol
lowingrea
sons,IdenyPet
ition
ers
’reque
stforat
torn
eys
’
fee
sandcost
s.
Ind e
terminingwh etherther
ew asareasonablebasi
sforth epre
sentpet
it
ion,the
unders
ignedconsideredth etotali
tyoftheci
rcum s
tan ce
s,seeChuisano,116F ed.Cl.at288,
includ
ingthefac
tualb asesa ndm ed
ica
lsupportforthep e
ti
tion
,asw e
llastheju
risdi
ctional
issues
.Id. Und rth
e efactu a
lb as
issurr
oundingthep et
it
ion,spec
ialm as
terscanconsiderthe
ci
r cums
tancesofthep et
ition’sfil
ingits
elf
.S eeCu rranv.Sec’
yofH ea
lth &Hum anS ervs
.,No.
15-804V,2016 WL4272069 ,a t*3(Fed.Cl
.Sp ec
.M st
r.June22,2016)(find
ingreasona b
le
basiswher
eth e“ p
r e
cisec ut-offdat
e”ofthestatu
teo fl
im i
tat
ionsw asunknownbyp et
it
ioner’
s
counse
l),remand e
dono th ergrounds,2017 WL2 17704(F ed
.Cl.J an
.3,2017).
A
.Fa
ctua
l and M
edi
calBa
ses
Pe
titione
rshighligh
tth eshor
tp e
riodo ftimec ounselposse
ssedbefo
reheb e
lievedthe
st
atut
eoflim i
tat
ionswou ldexpire.Reply6.P eti
tioners
’c ouns
elarguedtha
thiscli
entstoldh
im
tha
ttheyhadaphy s
ici
a n
’sopinionthatL.P.w asv ac
cine-
injured.Id.at7.Pet
itione
rs’counse
l
ther
efor
eb e
lievedtha
th ecouldp rov
ec ausa
tiona ndc ons
equ en
tlyfi
ledthepe
ti
tion“withinone
andone-ha
lfd ay
s ”af
terspeakingtoPeti
tioners.Id.at4 .
Iamunp er
suadedth a
tP et
itione
rs’rushedfi
lingsuppo r
tsar ea
sonableb asis.E v
enw ith
thec ompres
s edtimefram e
,P et
itioner
s’counselw asinpo sse
ssionofthed a
teso fL .P.’s
vaccinat
ions,andh estatedthath eexpres
sedcon ce
rn saboutthesta
tuteoflim ita
tionstoh is
cl
ien
t sb a
seduponth ed atesPeti
tioner
sg avehim.R eplyat3(“Imm edia
tely
,Iw asc oncerned
becauseD ecemb er12,2014(th e36-monthlimitat
ion)w asonlyfourd ay
saw aya ndwou ldb ethe
36thmon thsincethelastinje
ction....”).A ccord
ingtoP e
ti
tioners
,pert
inentin form at
ion,like
thed a
teo fva c
cinat
ionandth eon setofsymptom s
,w asal
readyknowntoP et
ition ersandth eir
counselbyth ed a
teoffil
ingth e
irp et
it
ion.Id.at5( “Therew a
snodoub tsheb ecam emo re
symptom at
ica f
terthefi
r s
tinject
ion[M a
rch30,2011 ],butsheh adbeeninap ainfulh e
aling
cond
itionev ersincehersurgeryonF eb
ruary20,2011 .”)
. Cons equ
ent
ly,P e
ti
t ion e
rsa ndtheir
8
coun
selshouldhaveknowntha
tthe
irpeti
tionwasun
time
ly.SeeSomosotv
.Sec
’yofH e
alth &
HumanServs
.,120F ed.Cl
.716,721(2015)(“Arev
iewofth
erelevan
tcas
elawand[th
e]
med
ica
lrecordsshou
ldhaveal
ert
edpet
itioner
sandth
eirc
ounse
lthatth
isca
sewasunt
imely.
”).
B
. Ju
risd
ict
iona
lIs
sue
s
Pe
ti
tione
rsarguethatL.P
.’
sphysic
ians
’m i
sdiagno
sesand Me
r c
k’sfai
luretono t
ify
Pe
tit
ioner
sofa“ con
tamin a
ted”Gard
asi
lbatchcons
ti
tute“ex
tra
ord
inarycirc
um s
t anc
es.”R ep
ly
8.P et
it
ioner
scla
imth atthes
e“ex
tra
ord
inaryci
rcumstanc
es”tr
igge
rth eappl
ica
tiono fequ
itab
le
7
tol
lingandthi
screa
tesar ea
sonab
lebas
isforthe
irpet
it
ion.Id
.at6-8
.Id isagre
e.
Pe
tit
ionersall
eg etha
tM e
rck’sfailuretoinformth emo fthe“contamin a
ted ”lo
to f
G
ardas
ilcons
ti
tutesafraudsuffi
cientfore qui
tabletol
ling. Id.at8. Un for
tun a
telyfor
P
et
itione
rs,M er
c k
,thea l
leged
lyf r
a udu
le ntent
ity,isnottheiradver
s a
rialparty
.S eeBa i
ley,88
U
.S.a
t349 -
50( c
itedinC loe
r,654F .3da t1344).P et
itione
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tR espondent
d
efra
udedthemo rothe
rw isedeniedP et
it
ion er
sfromd iligen
tlypursuingtheirlegalrigh
ts.S e
e
R
eply8. The
refore
,P e
ti
tionerscannotav ai
lth emselvesofequitab
letoll
ingth roughf r
aud.
Pe
ti
tion
ers
’c l
aimsfo
r“ext
rao
rdina
ryci
rcums
tances
”w arra
ntingequ
ita
bletol
lingare
simi
lar
lyunsucce
ssfu
l.“Ext
raord
ina
rycir
cumst
anc
es”arethosetha
ta r
eunique
lyrare.M o
jic
a
v
.S ec
’yofH ea
lth &HumanS e
rvs
.,102Fed.Cl
.96
,100 -
01(2011)( c
it
ingOhv
.Gon zales,406
F
.3d611,613(9thC ir
.2005
))
.M isd
iagnos
esar
eunfo
rtuna
telycommonanddono tconsti
tut
e
thera
reci
rc um
stance
sthatwar
ran
tequi
tab
leto
ll
ing
.
Equi
tabl
etol
lingh asbeenfoundtoapp lyinth eVa c
cineP rogramwh enap e
titione
ris
men
tallyincapaci
ta
tedtoth edegreetha
tsh ec ou
ldno tpursueh e
rl ega
lrigh
ts.G rayv.S e
c’yof
Hea
lth&Hum anS e
rvs.,No .15 -146V
,2016 WL787166(F e
d.C l.Sp e
c.M s
tr
.F eb
.4,2016 )
;
Hodgev.S ec’yofHealth &Hum anSer
vs.,No .09-453V,2015 WL9685916(F ed
.C l
.Sp ec
.
Ms
tr.D ec.21,2015)
.P et
it
ionersdidno
tp resentanye vid
e n
ceth a
tth eyw e
rem en
tal
ly
incapacita
tedtothed egr
eethattheycouldnotpu r
su ethe
irlegalrights
.S e
eW ax,2012 W L
3867161a t*10(pet
itionermu s
tshowth atthey“[hav e
]b eenpursuing[the
ir
]rig h
tsdilig
ent
ly,
and[]th a
tsom eext
ra ord
inarycircums
tan c
estoodin[ the
ir]w ay”).
Finally
,ap eti
tiondo esnotw a
rran
te qui
tab
letoll
ing“ dueto[ an
]unaw arenes
so fac au
sal
linkbetwe enanin jurya nda dminis
trat
ionofav accine....”Cloer,654F .3da t1345.Equitab
le
tolingc
l a nnotbeu sedbyp e
tit
ionerstoinse
rtad i
scov e
ryruleintotheV acc
ineA ct
.Clo er,654
F
.3da t1339(ho ldingth a
tthed at
eo fonset“doesno tdependonwh enap e
ti
tionerknewo r
reasonab
lyshou ldh av eknowna nythingadv e
rseabouth e
rc ondi
tion”)
. Therefo
re,Pet
itioner
s’
argumentsth a
tL .P
. ’sphy si
ciansm isd
iagnosedh e
rsymp tom shavenow e
ightinfind
inga
reasonab
l eb a
sisfo re qui
tableto
lling. Consequen
tly,Pet
itioner
sa reunab
letoshowar easonab
le
basi
sthroug hana rg um entforequitab
letol
ling.
7
Th
isdeci
siondoesno
tprec
ludetha
tape
ti
tione
rcouldshoware
ason
ableba
sist
hroug
hanunsu
cce
ssfu
l,
bu
totherw
isecolo
rabl
e,a
rgumentfo
requ
itab
leto
ll
ing.Forth
ep u
rpo
sesoft
hiscas
e,how
eve
r,
Pe
ti
tion
ersw e
reunab
letodoso
.
9
IV
. CONCLUS
ION
Pe
ti
tione
rsinV a
ccin
eA c
tli
tig
at
ionmu s
tshowth a
tthe
irpe
tit
ionw asf
iledingoodf a
ith
a
ndonar easonab
lebas
isinord
ertobeel
igib
lefora t
torn
eys’fe
esandc os
ts
.P e
tit
ionersinthe
p
resen
tcasedidnotes
tabl
isharea
sonab
leb a
sisforthe
irpet
it
ion
.P et
itione
rs’ Mo
tionfor
A
tto
rneys
’F eesi
sthe
refo
reDEN IED.
I nth
eab
sen
ceo
famo
tionfo
rre
viewf
il
edpursu
anttoRCFCAppend
ixB,thec
lerko
f
8
th
ecou
rtSHALLENTERJUDGMENTina ccord
ancewithth
ete
rmso
ftheabovede
cis
ion
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ITISSOORDERED
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s
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rbr
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ers
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rinaD
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ialMa
ste
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rsu
anttoVacc
ineRule11(
a),ent
ryofju
dgm
enti
sexp
edi
tedb
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epa
rt
ies
’jo
into
rse
par
atef
il
ingo
f
ano
tic
erenoun
cingth
erigh
ttos e
ekrev
iew.
10
Powers v. Secretary of Health and Human Services
Combined Opinion