MMR Vaccine Lawsuits

Experts recommend that all children get the MMR vaccine to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella. Unfortunately, in rare cases, the vaccine itself can cause serious injury — including seizures, brain damage, blood disorders, life-threatening allergic reactions, and more.

What You Can Do & How an MMR Vaccine Lawsuit Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting MMR vaccine injury claims in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Vaccine Injury Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

MMR Vaccine Overview

The MMR vaccine increases immunity from the following illnesses:

• Measles: This highly contagious respiratory illness caused by a virus. It causes fever, bloodshot eyes, cough, rash, muscle pain, and other symptoms.
• Mumps: This viral disease causes painful swelling of the salivary glands in the mouth. It also causes fever, headache, and other symptoms. In severe cases, it can affect the central nervous system and other organs.
• Rubella (German measles): This viral disease causes a serious skin rash, fever, headache, muscle pain, and other symptoms. There is no known way to treat rubella. It can cause serious complications during pregnancy, causing birth defects or miscarriage.

The MMR vaccine is recommended for all children. It is usually administered in two doses — the first when the child is 12-15 months old, and the second (a booster shot) when the child is 4-6 years old. Sometimes, children are vaccinated earlier during outbreaks of measles, mumps, or rubella.

MMR Vaccine Side Effects

The chance of having a side effect from the MMR vaccine is far lower than the chance of getting measles, mumps, or rubella. However, serious side effects do occur. These side effects can cause severe injury, permanent physical disability, intellectual disability, or death.

The risk of side effects is lower for the MMR vaccine than the MMRV vaccine (the “V” stands for “varicella,” which is an immunization against chickenpox). Children who receive the MMRV are twice as likely to have febrile seizures than children who receive separate MMR and varicella vaccines.

Serious side effects of the MMR vaccine include:

• Fever
• Rash
• Swelling of the glands in the cheek or neck
• Seizure (jerking or staring) caused by fever (occurs in one per 3,000 doses)
• Temporary pain and stiffness in the joints
• Low blood platelet count, which can cause a permanent blood disorder (occurs in one per 30,000 doses)
• Severe, life-threatening allergic reaction (occurs in one per 1,000,000 doses)
• Deafness
• Long-term seizure disorders
• Coma
• Lowered consciousness
• Permanent brain damage
• Encephalopathy (encephalitis)
• Chronic arthritis
• Thrombocytopenic purpura (blood disorder)
• Vaccine-Strain Measles viral infection
• And more

MMR Vaccine Injury Claims

If you or your loved one has an MMR vaccine injury claim, you could be entitled to up to $250,000 in financial compensation if you decide to file an MMR vaccine lawsuit. The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) is a federal program that compensates the victims of vaccine injuries. It is funded by a $0.75 tax on all vaccines. Congress established the VICP in 1989, and since then, they have paid at least $2.4 billion to victims of vaccine injuries.

People who have been injured by vaccines must file a vaccine injury claim with a special federal court located in Washington D.C. There, experts review each case and decide whether there is a good chance that the injury was caused by the vaccine. Unlike other courts, the VICP is a “no-fault” court, which means that you can win your case without proving that someone is at fault for your injury. If the court is convinced that your injury was caused by the vaccine, they may award up to $250,000 for your pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost income, and legal fees.

However, you can only file an MMR vaccine injury claim if you meet the following requirements:

• The MMR vaccine must have caused injury to you, your child, or your deceased/disabled family member. You may also file an MMR vaccine lawsuit if you are the legal guardian of a disabled adult or a child who was hurt.
• The VICP only awards compensation for serious injuries. To qualify, the injury must have lasted for at least 6 months, or needed hospitalization or surgery, or caused a disability or death.
• Act quickly — you have a limited amount of time to file your claim. The time limit is two years for death, three years for injury, and four years for an injury that eventually caused death.

As of January 1, 2012, there have been a total of 901 MMR vaccine injury claims filed with the VICP. Of these, 845 were for injuries, and 56 were for deaths. The court dismissed 460 cases and compensated 328 cases.

Do I have an MMR Vaccine Lawsuit?

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting MMR vaccine injury claims in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured by the MMR vaccine, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Vaccine Injury Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

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