A Utah family received one of the largest medical malpractice awards in history after a judge determined that a hospital’s negligent care during childbirth left their daughter permanently brain-damaged.
Anyssa Zancanella won $951 million in damages against Jordan Valley Medical Center West Valley Campus after the facility’s medical staff failed to provide adequate care during her daughter’s birth in October 2019.
Third District Judge Patrick Corum delivered a scathing assessment of the hospital’s performance, stating that Zancanella “would have been better off delivering this baby at the bathroom of a gas station, or in a hut somewhere in Africa, than in this hospital.”
The judge declared the medical center “literally, this was the most dangerous place on the planet for her to have given birth.”
Zancanella traveled from Wyoming to the Salt Lake City area when her water broke during a short trip.
Located hours away from her regular doctor, the family sought emergency care at the Jordan Valley facility, which was operated by the now-defunct Steward Health Care system.
The lawsuit revealed that medical staff administered excessive doses of Pitocin, a labor-inducing medication, to Zancanella during her stay at the hospital.
Hospital nurses assigned to Zancanella lacked proper experience with laboring patients.
Court documents stated this “was the very first, or one of the very first times, that either of the assigned bedside nurses had individually been assigned a laboring patient.”
Medical staff ignored Zancanella’s condition for an extended period. The lawsuit alleged that nurses and doctors failed to monitor her properly during the critical labor process.
Doctors delayed performing a cesarean section for over 24 hours after Zancanella’s admission to the hospital. This delay resulted in oxygen deprivation for the unborn child.
The prolonged labor without proper intervention caused severe brain damage to baby Azaylee.
The infant suffered permanent neurological and cognitive damage due to the oxygen deprivation during birth.
Court documents stated that the attending obstetrician “abandoned mother and fetus/infant when she was fully aware of significant and dangerous issues with the ongoing labor process and the ongoing health and well-being of the fetus.”
Azaylee now requires round-the-clock care due to her severe disabilities.
The child experiences frequent seizures and cannot speak or function independently.
The family sleeps together in one bed because Azaylee cannot sleep alone.
She receives ongoing physical and occupational therapy to manage her condition.
During court testimony, Zancanella described the devastating impact on their lives.
“[Azaylee] had her life stolen. We all did. We had her taken from us. She is trapped. I know that my daughter is in there, but she can’t come out and I think of that every day,” she stated.
Judge Corum awarded damages to Zancanella, her partner Daniel McMichael and their daughter totaling $951 million.
The judge indicated the award could have been higher if Steward Health Care had remained engaged in the legal proceedings.
“Had the defendant been here, I think the testimony would have been lengthier and even more compelling, if that’s possible,” Corum explained during the ruling, according to Daily Mail reporting.
Steward Health Care ceased participation in the legal case and withdrew its attorneys before the final judgment.
The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2024 and subsequently sold all of its hospital properties.
The judge criticized Steward’s legal strategy, noting that “since at least the early Spring of 2024, Defendants’ entire strategy seems to have been nothing other than an attempt to thwart justice and the judicial process.”
Collection of the massive award remains uncertain due to Steward’s withdrawal from the case.
Judge Corum acknowledged the unusual circumstances surrounding the defendant’s absence from proceedings.
The family’s attorney, Jennifer Morales, expressed confidence that her clients would recover at least half of the awarded amount.
Morales indicated that portion represents punitive damages that should be collectible despite Steward’s bankruptcy status.
Judge Corum reflected on the profound nature of the damages inflicted on the family.
“The person she was to be, the person she deserved to be, is trapped inside a brain-damaged child,” he observed.
“I cannot think of anything more profound, total or complete than that loss,” the judge concluded, emphasizing the permanent nature of the harm caused by the hospital’s negligence.
The post Family Wins Nearly $1B After Mom’s Perfect Pregnancy, Hospital Destroys Baby’s Life During Botched Delivery appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
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Author: Jordyn M.
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