Al-Uffi v. Secretary of Health and Human Services, 13-956

Petitioner Raja Bowlds (originally filed by parent) alleged that the HPV vaccine administered December 8, 2010 caused anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis; petition filed Dec. 5, 2013 under the Vaccine Program.
Special Master issued a Ruling on Entitlement in August 2016 and adopted the parties’ proffer in a decision dated Sept. 22, 2017, awarding compensation.
Petitioner sought final attorney’s fees and costs on Sept. 27, 2017, requesting a combined $52,891.76 ($41,121.00 in attorney fees and $11,770.76 in costs).
Requested hourly rates: Downing $350 (2015–16) / $375 (2017); Van Cott $195 (2016–17); Redman $195 (2015); paralegals $100 (2015–16) / $135 (2017).
Costs included $10,075 for expert reports and $1,695.76 for records, copying, mailing, and research.
Respondent did not oppose fee eligibility and deferred to the Special Master on the amount; Special Master found rates, time, and costs reasonable and awarded the full requested amount to be paid jointly to petitioner and counsel.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Entitlement to attorney’s fees and costs under the Vaccine Act	Fees and costs are recoverable after successful claim; requested amounts are reasonable	Did not dispute awardability; deferred to Special Master on amount	Fees and costs awardable; Special Master may exercise discretion on amount
Hourly rates for counsel and paralegals	Requested rates consistent with prior Vaccine Program awards for these attorneys	No objection to the specific rates requested	Requested hourly rates were awarded in full
Reasonableness of attorney time billed	Time entries and totals are reasonable for work performed July 2015–2017	No objection to hours claimed	Attorney time approved as reasonable
Recoverability and amount of litigation costs (including experts)	Expert fees ($10,075) and other costs ($1,695.76) reasonable and necessary	Respondent did not identify any costs as objectionable	All requested costs awarded in full

None (opinion cites prior Special Master decisions and unpublished Vaccine Program rulings without official reporter citations).