LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – Special Master Patricia Campbell-Smith wrote in her conclusion that the "petitioners' theory of vaccine-related causation is scientifically unsupportable. In the absence of a sound medical theory causally connecting (the child's) received vaccines to his autistic condition, the undersigned cannot find the proposed sequence of cause and effect to be logical or temporally appropriate.

"Having failed to satisfy their burden of proof under the articulated legal standard, petitioners cannot prevail on their claim of vaccine-related causation," the report says.

In another case, Special Master George L. Hastings Jr. wrote that after "studying the extensive evidence in this case for many months, I am convinced that the opinions provided by the petitioners' experts in this case, advising the ... family that there is a causal connection between thimerosal-containing vaccines and (the child)'s autism, have been quite wrong."

Mother Rebecca Estepp, whose 12-year-old son has been diagnosed with autism told CNN she was  "devastated" with the rulings, but not surprised. "The deck is stacked against families in vaccine court. You have government attorneys defending a government program using government-funded science before government judges. Where's the justice in that?"

"All three families are committed to following the appeals process, and pursuing that avenue to get justice and compensation for their kids," Tom Powers, a lawyer for the families involved says.