$951 Million Secured in Utah Birth Injury Lawsuit

When childbirth goes wrong due to preventable medical mistakes, the consequences can be devastating, as a recent birth injury case shows. Utah birth injury attorneys secured $951 million, the largest medical malpractice verdict in state history, for the parents of a child who suffered a severe brain injury during labor.

This landmark case shines a spotlight on the critical importance of proper hospital staffing, monitoring, and timely intervention in labor and delivery, while also highlighting the legal avenues available for families seeking justice after a preventable birth injury.

Below, we break down what happened in this case and what every family should know about medical malpractice and birth injuries.

About the Birth Injuries Lawsuit in Utah

In October 2019, Anyssa Zancanella was in labor at Jordan Valley Medical Center – West Valley Campus in Utah, which was owned by Steward Health Care at the time.

The nursing staff assigned to Anyssa were recently out of training and gave her excessively high doses of Pitocin^®, a drug used to induce, according to reports. Meanwhile, the on-call physician allegedly slept in a room nearby.

Despite signs of fetal distress, intervention was delayed, and over 24 hours passed before a Cesarean section was performed, according to the lawsuit. By then, irreversible damage had occurred.

The child, Azaylee McMicheal, suffered hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, a type of brain damage from lack of oxygen. The family reports that she is now nonverbal, has seizures, requires round-the-clock care, and will be impaired for the rest of her life.

Judge Calls Hospital ‘Most Dangerous Place on the Planet’

In August 2025, Judge Patrick Corum awarded a $951 million birth injury verdict to Anyssa, her partner, and their daughter. This is now the largest medical malpractice verdict in Utah’s history.

The judge’s opinion was scathing. In describing the care Azaylee received, he went so far as to say that the hospital was “the most dangerous place on the planet” for her to have been born.

“The person she was to be, the person she deserved to be, is trapped inside a brain-damaged child. I cannot think of anything more profound, total or complete than that loss.”
– Judge Patrick Corum, Third District Court

This verdict is a reminder that when preventable medical errors happen, there can be consequences — and families can seek justice. While no amount of money can reverse the harm done to Azaylee, accountability can lead to changes that protect others in the future.

Birth Injuries: Types & Medical Malpractice

Birth injury medical malpractice occurs when a doctor, nurse, or hospital fails to provide the accepted standard of care during pregnancy, labor, or delivery and causes serious harm to a newborn or mother.

This can include mistakes like failing to monitor fetal distress, delaying a necessary C-section, improper use of labor-inducing drugs, or inadequate supervision of medical staff.

Types of birth injuries include:

• Brachial plexus injuries
• Brain damage
• Cephalohematoma
• Cerebral palsy
• Erb’s palsy
• Forceps delivery complications
• Hydrocephalus
• Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)
• Intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD)
• Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH)
• Kernicterus
• Klumpke’s palsy
• Meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS)
• Meningitis
• Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL)
• Shoulder dystocia
• Skull fractures
• Spinal cord injuries
• Vacuum extraction complications
• Wrongful death​

Unlike unavoidable complications, medical malpractice means the injury could have been prevented if proper care and attention had been given.

Families affected by these errors often face lifelong medical, financial, and emotional challenges, making accountability and justice especially critical.

What Happened in This Case

Birth injury lawyers in Utah were able to secure almost $1 billion for Azaylee and her family due to a combination of multiple, compounding failures that made Jordan Valley Medical Center unsafe for this birth.

These alleged failures went beyond a simple mistake:

• Inexperienced staff: The nurses assigned to the mother were brand new, fresh out of training, and left without proper supervision. They were tasked with managing a complicated labor without the experience to recognize or respond to warning signs.
• Excessive Pitocin over many hours: Pitocin is a powerful drug used to speed up labor, but it must be carefully monitored because it increases stress on both the uterus and the baby. In this case, the dosage was unusually high and continued for a prolonged period, despite clear signs of fetal distress.
• Physician negligence: The on-call doctor, who was supposed to oversee care and intervene if needed, was asleep during critical periods. When the baby’s heart rate was showing signs of distress, there was no timely medical intervention.
• Delayed Cesarean section: A C-section is the standard, life-saving response when a baby is deprived of oxygen. Instead, the team waited until it was too late, resulting in hypoxic-ischemic brain damage that left the child with permanent and severe disabilities.

So, while giving too much Pitocin might sound like a single medical error, this case was really about a systemic breakdown in safety and accountability that resulted in lifelong harm to one family’s baby girl.

Judge Corum highlighted that it wasn’t just one mistake — it was a series of negligent decisions, lack of supervision, and outright inaction that turned the hospital into an unsafe place for this mother and her baby.

Find a Birth Injury Lawyer Near You

At the Birth Injury Justice Center, we understand how devastating it is when preventable medical mistakes change a child’s life forever, and we’re here to support families every step of the way.

If you believe your child may be suffering due to an injury at birth, we can connect you with top legal professionals in your area — at no cost. Our partners have recovered over $1 billion for families across the country.

If you’re going through something similar, you’re not alone. Our team stands ready to help you understand your rights and options.

Get a free case review now to find out if you may have a birth injury case. Compensation can be worth millions.