Prospects for Justice for Children Injured by Vaccines: The Experience of the Omnibus Autism Proceeding
Vaccine-injured individuals may obtain compensation for their injuries only (with narrow
exceptions) through the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Over the last decade thousands of claims have been brought before the VICP by families of young children claiming vaccines have caused their children’s
neurodevelopmental disorders, often diagnosed as autism. In the overwhelming majority of
cases, these claims have been rejected, ending any chance for justice and compensation
for these victims. Mr. Krakow and Mr. McHugh will explore the reasons underlying the
denial of most claims for autism in the VICP and the possibilities for obtaining justice in the
future.
Robert J. Krakow, Esq.
Robert J. Krakow has been engaged in the practice of law for more
than 30 years.
For the decade of the 1980s Mr. Krakow was a prosecutor with the New
York County District Attorney’s Office serving for
5 years as chief of the Narcotics Bureau.
For the past
10 years, Mr. Krakow has been representing individuals injured by vaccines. He served for years as chairman of the board of
Lifespire, which serves more than 5000 intellectually disabled
individuals. Mr. Krakow has founded the Elizabeth Birt Center for Law
and Autism Advocacy.
John McHugh, Esq.
John McHugh has been engaged in the practice of law for more than 40 years. He
started his career in the Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice. He was then
appointed as an Assistant US Attorney in the Southern District of New York.
For
more than a decade Mr. McHugh has been one of less than 70 attorneys nationwide
who regularly represent persons injured by vaccines before the United States Court of
Federal Claims in the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.
