Litigation

Feds Concede Millions in Autism Vaccine Award

By Michael Krauss

Despite consistent victories (reported on Point of Law) before the Court of Claims and the Federal Circuit, the government has apparently settled a Childhood Vaccine Act case filed by parents who claim that a combination vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella, polio, varicella, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, and Haemophilus influenzae) caused their child's autism. CBS News has the report here. The settlement will eventually exceed $20 Million, though of course its present value is worth less.

Note that the federal government said the inculpated vaccines aggravated an unknown mitochondrial disorder from which the child suffered and therefore didn't "cause" her autism, but "resulted" in it. Ummm, OK, but presumably that means that the vaccine causes autism in all those with said mitochondrial disorder.

If any POL readers have information on the process which led the government to settle this case despite constant legal victories, please email me at mkrauss@gmu.edu.

Full post as published by Point of Law on September 13, 2010 (boomark / email).