In a landmark decision, a Utah family has been awarded one of the largest medical malpractice settlements in history. Third District Judge Patrick Corum ordered Jordan Valley Medical Center West Valley Campus to pay $951 million in damages for providing substandard care during the birth of Anyssa Zancanella's daughter in October 2019, which resulted in the child's permanent brain damage.
The incident occurred when Zancanella, who was visiting the Salt Lake City area from Wyoming, went into labor and sought emergency care at Jordan Valley Medical Center, operated by the now-defunct Steward Health Care system. The lawsuit detailed a series of critical missteps by the medical staff, including the administration of excessive doses of Pitocin, a labor-inducing drug, and a significant delay in performing a cesarean section, which led to the newborn, Azaylee, suffering from oxygen deprivation.
During the trial, it was revealed that the nurses assigned to Zancanella were inexperienced with laboring patients, with court documents noting that for at least one of the nurses, it was their first time managing a laboring patient. The attending obstetrician was also accused of abandoning the mother and child during a critical time in the labor process.
As a result of the prolonged and mismanaged labor, Azaylee was born with severe neurological and cognitive damage, requiring constant care. She experiences frequent seizures and is unable to speak or function independently. The family's life has been drastically altered, with Zancanella stating in her testimony that her daughter is "trapped" inside her condition, profoundly affecting the entire family.
Judge Corum's scathing assessment of the hospital's performance included a remark 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." He went on to describe the medical center as "the most dangerous place on the planet" for Zancanella to give birth.
The damages awarded include compensation for the lifelong care that Azaylee will require and punitive damages against the medical center. However, the collection of the award remains uncertain due to Steward Health Care's withdrawal from the case and its subsequent filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2024. Despite these complications, the family's attorney, Jennifer Morales, remains confident that they will recover at least half of the awarded sum.
Judge Corum's ruling not only reflects the gravity of the medical negligence but also the profound loss experienced by the family. "The person she was to be, the person she deserved to be, is trapped inside a brain-damaged child," he stated, emphasizing the irreversible harm inflicted upon Azaylee.
