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