A Utah judge has awarded nearly $1 billion to a family after ruling that medical negligence during childbirth left their daughter permanently disabled.
Anyssa Zancanella, of Wyoming, sued Jordan Valley Medical Center West Valley Campus, then operated by Steward Health Care, after the 2019 delivery of her first child, Azaylee. The case concluded with a $951 million judgment.
Negligence During Delivery
According to the lawsuit, Zancanella was given “excessive” doses of Pitocin, a labor-inducing drug, and received little attention from staff. The two assigned nurses were reportedly inexperienced with laboring patients.
Doctors did not perform a C-section until more than a day after she was admitted, the family argued, depriving the baby of oxygen and causing severe brain damage.
Third District Judge Patrick Corum said Zancanella would have been safer delivering “in the bathroom of a gas station, or a hut somewhere in Africa” than in the hospital. He described the facility as “the most dangerous place on the planet” for her to give birth.
Permanent Disabilities
Azaylee now requires constant care and suffers from seizures. She is nonverbal and undergoes regular physical and occupational therapy.
Her mother testified, “She 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.”
The family said they share the same bed because Azaylee cannot sleep alone.
Hospital Liability
Judge Corum found Steward Health Care liable and awarded $951 million in damages to Zancanella, her partner Daniel McMichael, and their daughter. He noted the amount could have been higher if the company had continued participating in the case.
Steward, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2024 and sold off its hospitals, withdrew from the lawsuit and stopped communicating with its attorneys. The judge criticized the company’s conduct as an attempt “to thwart justice and the judicial process.”
Damages Still Uncertain
The family’s attorney, Jennifer Morales, said they may be able to collect at least half of the award, which includes punitive damages. It remains unclear how much of the judgment the family will ultimately receive.
