Washington ( CNN ) -- Parents who say that a range of preventive vaccines given their young children can cause serious health problems will have their appeal heard by the U.S. Supreme Court . The justices Monday agreed to decide whether drug makers can be sued outside a special judicial forum set up by Congress in 1986 to address specific claims about safety . The so-called vaccine court has handled such disputes and was designed to ensure a reliable , steady supply of the drugs by reducing the threat of lawsuits against pharmaceutical firms . The questions in the latest case are whether such liability claims can proceed , if the vaccine-related injuries could have been avoided by better product design , and if federal officials had approved another , allegedly safer drug . Oral arguments in the dispute will be held in the fall . The lawsuit was brought by the parents of Hannah Bruesewitz , a girl from the Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , area . They said she was in fine health as an infant in 1992 when given a series of DPT shots -- a combination of vaccines to prevent diphtheria , pertussis ( whooping cough ) and tetanus . After the third series , according to court briefs , the child began having seizures and became disabled . Now a teenager , Hannah continues to suffer what is described as `` residual seizure disorder . '' The Bruesewitzes alleged Wyeth Laboratories failed to adequately warn them and other parents of the risks associated with the vaccine . The vaccine court rejected the initial claim , so the family tried to revive the lawsuit in the federal courts . Their lawyers said the 24-year-old law does not ban all lawsuits , especially those filed when the harmful side effects were avoidable . A federal appeals court eventually ruled for Wyeth , now owned by Pfizer Inc. , concluding that all design-defect claims were barred under statute . Despite that victory , the company urged the high court to hear the case , saying it seeks final resolution on broader legal questions . The Obama administration also urged review and is supporting the company and the federal law in question . Wyeth and other drug manufacturers say their products are generally safe , but side effects can occur in very rare cases . They also say that the vaccine industry is generally not profitable , but that the health benefits for society in general have kept them in the business . For that , they say , legal protection provided by Congress is essential to ensure such drugs are widely available and affordable . The high court did not act immediately on a another related , pending appeal . The Georgia Supreme Court last year became the first appeals court in the U.S. to allow families to sue outside the special vaccine court . That case involved Atlanta-area parents who said their son Stefan Ferrari suffered severe neurological damage 12 years ago from booster shots , by Wyeth and GlaxoSmithKline , containing the mercury-based preservative thimerosal . Now 12 , the boy is unable to speak , say his parents , Stefano and Carolyn Ferrari . The preservative has since been taken out of nearly all standard vaccines . Despite winning at the state level , the family has since withdrawn its case , but the liability on drug companies resulting from that decision remains in force in Georgia . The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Compensation Act was passed to establish a nationwide strategy to ensure a secure vaccine supply , promote safety and future research , and compensate innocent victims . Those goals were listed at the time as a `` top public health priority . '' Lawmakers acknowledged the vaccine supply was suffering under rising company costs from potential liability claims . Despite Food and Drug Administration approval for the vaccines , companies said they were being driven out of the market . The special federal court created under the legislation was a liability shield , designed to be a reliable , relatively quick , no-fault solution to various claims . Unresolved over the years is whether and when certain exceptions to liability should be in play in specific cases . The case accepted is Bruesewitz v. Wyeth ( 09-152 ) . The pending case is American Home Products Corp. v. Ferrari ( 08-1120 ) .
Latest case involves liability claim , product design , drug safety questions . Suit brought by parents of girl who got DPT shots , had seizures , became disabled . Parents sue manufacturer for negligence and wrongful death. Company , Obama administration urged court to hear case ; oral arguments to take place in fall .