Mass ex rel. Mass v. Secretary of Health & Human Services

31 Fed. Cl. 523, 1994 U.S. Claims LEXIS 122, 1994 WL 319582
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedJune 21, 1994
DocketNo. 90-1203V
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 31 Fed. Cl. 523 (Mass ex rel. Mass v. Secretary of Health & Human Services) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mass ex rel. Mass v. Secretary of Health & Human Services, 31 Fed. Cl. 523, 1994 U.S. Claims LEXIS 122, 1994 WL 319582 (uscfc 1994).

Opinion

OPINION

HORN, Judge.

This case comes before the United States Court of Federal Claims on petitioner’s motion to review the December 21, 1993 decision of the special master granting petitioner’s request for costs. Prior to applying for costs, petitioner had filed a separate civil action against the vaccine manufacturer in a Cook County, Illinois court and had requested dismissal of the claim filed pursuant to the National Childhood Vaccine Compensation Program (hereinafter “Vaccine Program”).

FACTS

Petitioner, Arnold M. Mass, initiated the above-captioned case in this court on September 24,1990, on behalf of his minor child, James A. Mass, by filing a petition, pro se,1 in the United States Court of Federal Claims,2 pursuant to the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, 42 U.S.C. § 300-[525]*525aa (1988) (hereinafter “Vaccine Act”).3 The petitioner sought compensation under the Vaccine Program for injuries allegedly related to and caused by the administration of a measles vaccine to James A. Mass on or about August 25, 1971.

At two conferences held on June 16, 1993 and on July 22, 1993, Mr. Mass requested Special Master Edwards to dismiss the petition. In support of this request, Mr. Mass indicated that on February 4, 1993, he also had filed a civil action against the manufacturer of the vaccine (Merck & Company) in Cook County, Illinois, to recover for James’s injuries. Therefore, on July 26, 1993, the special master dismissed the above-captioned petition from this court. Pursuant to the special master’s order of July 26, 1993, the Clerk of the United States Court of Federal Claims entered Judgment dismissing the petition brought by Mr. Mass in this court on August 27, 1993.

On August 30, 1993, petitioner filed a motion to recover costs related to pursuing his claim in this court under the Vaccine Act. In his decision on the application for costs, dated December 21, 1993, the special master awarded Mr. Mass $906.29 in costs. The special master noted that he could award costs in the instant case because contrary to when a civil suit is filed prior to the filing of a petition before this court, “petitioner’s filing of a civil action after the petitioner’s filing of a petition in the Program does not divest a special master of jurisdiction.” (Emphasis in original.) In that decision on costs, the special master also included gratuitous language stating that because Mr. Mass had not complied with Vaccine Act § 300aa-21, he is precluded from bringing his civil suit in state court and that civil suit is not valid.

On January 21, 1994, petitioner Mass filed a motion for review of the special master’s decision, arguing that the special master lacked the proper jurisdiction to award costs and that the special master could not bar a civil tort action brought in another forum. The United States filed its response to petitioner’s motion for review in which it agreed with those contentions set forth in petitioner’s brief that the filing by petitioner of a civil suit for vaccine-related injuries in state court constituted an election of remedies in accordance with 42 U.S.C. § 300aa-ll(a)(6) and, therefore, deprived the special master of jurisdiction over the claim. The United States argues that because the special master was deprived of jurisdiction upon such election, the award of costs in the above captioned case was invalid. The parties have raised no disputed factual issues.

DISCUSSION

The motion for review filed in the above-captioned case presents an unusual situation. Both parties challenge the decision issued by the special master awarding the petitioner the costs he had requested. For reasons of their own, the parties contend that the court did not have jurisdiction over petitioner’s case at the time the application for fees was decided by the special master, and that, therefore, the decision of the special master awarding costs should be overturned by this court.

When reviewing a special master’s decision, the judges of the United States Court of Federal Claims may:

(A) uphold the findings of fact and conclusions of law of the special master and sustain the special master’s decision,
(B) set aside any findings of fact or conclusion of law of the special master found to be arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law and issue its own findings of fact and conclusions of law, or,
(C) remand the petition to the special master for further action in accordance with the court’s direction.

[526]*52642 U.S.C. § 300aa-12(e)(2). With only minor word differences, Vaccine Rule 27 4 repeats these same statutory directives.

The language of both the Vaccine Act and the Vaccine Rules is clear that decisions of a special master may only be set aside by the Court of Federal Claims if the decision of the special master was arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law. 42 U.S.C. § 300aa-12(e)(2)(B); RCFC, App. J, Rule 27(b). The developing case law also supports application of the arbitrary and capricious, abuse of discretion or not in accordance with law standard of review. Cucuras v. Sec’y of DHHS, 993 F.2d 1525, 1527 (Fed.Cir.1993); Hines v. Sec’y DHHS, 940 F.2d 1518, 1523-24 (Fed.Cir.1991); Wells v. Sec’y DHHS, 28 Fed.Cl. 647, 651 (1993); Gamache v. Sec’y DHHS, 27 Fed.Cl. 639, 643 (1993), aff'd, 5 F.3d 1505 (Fed.Cir.1993); Lonergan v. Sec’y DHHS, 27 Fed.Cl. 579, 579-80 (1993); Perez v. Sec’y DHHS, 27 Fed.Cl. 200, 201 (1992) (citing Stotts v. Sec’y DHHS, 23 Cl.Ct. 352, 358-61 (1991)).

When applying the arbitrary and capricious standard, a reviewing court is not empowered to substitute its own judgment for that of a previous trier of fact. Citizens to Preserve Overton Park, Inc. v. Volpe, 401 U.S. 402, 416, 91 S.Ct. 814, 823, 28 L.Ed.2d 136 (1971). Instead, in determining whether a decision was arbitrary and capricious, a court “must consider whether the decision was based on a consideration of the relevant factors and whether there has been a clear error of judgment.” Id. Furthermore, “[i]f the special master has considered the relevant evidence of the record, drawn plausible inferences and articulated a rational basis for the decision, reversible error will be extremely difficult to demonstrate.” Hines v. Sec’y DHHS, 940 F.2d at 1528. See Lewis v. Sec’y DHHS, 26 Cl.Ct. 233, 236 (1992); Murphy v. Sec’y DHHS, 23 Cl.Ct. 726, 729-730 (1991).

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31 Fed. Cl. 523, 1994 U.S. Claims LEXIS 122, 1994 WL 319582, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mass-ex-rel-mass-v-secretary-of-health-human-services-uscfc-1994.