Back in 2001, ten-year-old Ilya Dobrydnev received a vaccination for hepatitis B. Following the vaccination, he experienced a fever, swollen lymph nodes, inflammation of his inner ear and ultimately severe loss of memory. Now an adult, Mr. Dobrydnev suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome.
Because of Mr. Dobrydnev’s injuries, his parents filed a claim in vaccine court, which is part of the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, a no-fault system designed to compensate vaccine injury victims and to limit the liability of vaccine manufacturers. The vaccine court awarded Mr. Dobrydnev’s parents $1 million, as well as annual payments for his ongoing medical care. The United States Department of Justice challenged the vaccine court’s decision, and the United States Court of Appeals overturned the award. Even though Mr. Dobrydnev’s parents presented experts to the vaccine court who opined that the hepatitis B vaccine caused Mr. Dobrydnev’s chronic fatigue syndrome, the court of appeals held that Mr. Dobrydnev’s case did not satisfy the standard for vaccine injury compensation.
As a result of the Court of Appeals decision, Mr. Dobrydnev’s parents have filed a petition with the United States Supreme Court, claiming that the Court of Appeals used the wrong standard for determining the proper amount of compensation for vaccine injury victims. The Supreme Court will now decide whether to consider the case. Please continue to follow our Blog for updates on vaccine injury cases.
The Wisconsin vaccine injury lawyers of Samster, Konkel & Safran have helped many people receive compensation for vaccine injuries. Since the vaccine court was created in 1986, the court has awarded a total of $2.9 billion to approximately 3,900 vaccine injury victims. If you or someone you know has suffered a vaccine-related injury, contact us for a free online case evaluation.
