Powers v. Secretary of Health and Human Services

Opinion

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 ,all“§ ”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.”§15 (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. ”§16 (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. ”§16 (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 rsdono tallegeth a 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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8 Pu rsu anttoVacc ineRule11( a),ent ryofju dgm enti sexp edi tedb yth epa rt ies ’jo into rse par atef il ingo f ano tic erenoun cingth erigh ttos e ekrev iew. 10