United States Court of Federal Claims, 2025

Kotch v. Secretary of Health and Human Services

United States Court of Federal Claims · Decided March 31, 2025 · Brian H. Corcoran

Opinion

In the United States Court of Federal Claims

OFFICE OF SPECIAL MASTERS No. 19-675V

*************************

* GENA BINKLEY KOTCH, * Chief Special Master Corcoran

* Petitioner, * Filed: February 27, 2025

* v. *

* SECRETARY OF HEALTH * AND HUMAN SERVICES, *

* Respondent. *

* ************************* Robert J. Krakow, Law Office of Robert J. Krakow, New York, NY, for Petitioner.

Sarah B. Rifkin, U.S. Dep’t of Justice, Washington, DC, for Respondent.

DECISION AWARDING DAMAGES 1

On May 7, 2019, Gena Binkley Kotch filed a petition seeking compensation under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (the “Vaccine Program”). 2 Petitioner alleges that she suffered Guillain-Barré syndrome (“GBS”) or peripheral neuropathy as a result of an influenza (“flu”) vaccine she received on January 27, 2018. Petition (ECF No. 1) at 1. Moreover, Petitioner alleges that she experienced residual effects of this injury for more than six months.

Respondent denies that Petitioner sustained a GBS Table Injury, denies that the vaccine caused Petitioner’s alleged neuropathy, or any other injury, and denies that Petitioner’s current condition is a sequela of a vaccine-related injury. Nonetheless both parties, while maintaining their above-stated positions, agreed in a stipulation (filed on February 26, 2025) that the issues before them could be settled, and that a decision should be entered awarding Petitioner compensation.

I have reviewed the file, and based upon that review, I conclude that the parties’ stipulation (as attached hereto) is reasonable. I therefore adopt it as my decision in awarding damages on the terms set forth therein.

The stipulation awards: • A lump sum payment of $92,500.00 to be paid through an ACH deposit to Petitioner’s counsel’s IOLTA account for prompt disbursement to Petitioner.

Stipulation ¶ 8. This amount represents compensation for all damages that would be available under Section 15(a) of the Act.

I approve a Vaccine Program award in the requested amount set forth above to be made to Petitioner. In the absence of a motion for review filed pursuant to RCFC Appendix B, the Clerk of the Court is directed to enter judgment herewith. 3

IT IS SO ORDERED.

/s/ Brian H. Corcoran Brian H. Corcoran Chief Special Master

1 Under Vaccine Rule 18(b), each party has fourteen (14) days within which to request redaction “of any information furnished by that party: (1) that is a trade secret or commercial or financial in substance and is privileged or confidential; or (2) that includes medical files or similar files, the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy.” Vaccine Rule 18(b). Otherwise, the whole Decision will be available to the public in its present form. Id. 2 The Vaccine Program comprises Part 2 of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, Pub. L. No. 99-660, 100 Stat. 3758, codified as amended at 42 U.S.C. §§ 300aa-10 through 34 (2012) [hereinafter “Vaccine Act” or “the Act”]. Individual section references hereafter will be to § 300aa of the Act (but will omit that statutory prefix). 3 Pursuant to Vaccine Rule 11(a), the parties may expedite entry of judgment by each filing (either jointly or separately) a notice renouncing their right to seek review.

Case-law data current through September 30, 2026. Source: CourtListener bulk data.