130A-430. Right of State to bring action against health care provider and manufacturer.
(a) If the Industrial Commission makes an award for a claimant who it determines has sustained a vaccine-related injury, the State may, within two years of the date the Commission renders its decision, bring an action against the health care provider who administered the vaccine on the ground that the health care provider was negligent in administering the vaccine. Damages in an action brought under this section are limited to the amount of the award made by the Commission plus the estimated present value of all the services to be provided to the claimant by the Department under G.S. 130A-427.
(b) Manufacturer. - If the Industrial Commission makes an award for a claimant who it determines has sustained a vaccine-related injury, the State may, within two years of the date the Commission renders its decision, bring an action against the manufacturer who made the vaccine on the ground that the vaccine was a defective product. Damages in an action brought under this section are limited to the amount of the award made by the Commission plus the estimated present value of all the services to be provided to the claimant by the Department under G.S. 130A-427, the reasonable costs of prosecuting the action, including, but not limited to, attorneys' fees, fees charged by witnesses, and costs of exhibits. For purposes of this subsection, a defective product is a covered vaccine that was manufactured, transported, or stored in a negligent manner, or was distributed after its expiration date, or that otherwise violated the applicable requirements of any license, approval, or permit, or any applicable standards or requirements issued under Section 351 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended, or the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, as these standards or requirements were interpreted or applied by the federal agency charged with their enforcement. The negligence or other action in violation of applicable federal standards or requirements shall be demonstrated by the State, by a preponderance of the evidence, to be the proximate cause of the injury for which an award was rendered pursuant to G.S. 130A-427, in order to allow recovery by the State against the manufacturer pursuant to this subsection.