$951 Million Award: Claggett & Sykes Secure Justice for Family in Devastating Utah Birth Injury Case

Claggett & Sykes Trial Lawyers recently secured a landmark $951M award in a birth injury case involving Steward Health Care in Utah. Our attorneys, alongside Barbara Gallagher of Kidwell & Gallagher, led the case. The result is one of the largest medical malpractice awards in Utah history.

A family’s worst nightmare

Anyssa Zancanella’s pregnancy was proceeding normally until she went into labor in October of 2019 while traveling in Utah. She rushed to the nearest hospital, the Jordan Valley Medical Center-West Valley Campus, which was then owned by Steward Health Care. The staff at the facility included new, inexperienced nurses and an on-call doctor who was unresponsive and asleep.

According to the lawsuit, the two nurses, both of whom were just finishing their orientation, administered dangerously high amounts of Pitocin to Zancanella for several hours. Although there were clear signs of fetal distress, they were ignored. Zancanella was in the hospital for over 30 hours before the providers performed a C-section. By that time, irreversible damage had unfortunately been done to the infant.

The baby was born with a hypoxic ischemic brain injury. The child, who is now five years old, is nonverbal and requires 24/7 care. Her parents, Zancanella and her partner, Danniel McMicheal, share a bedroom with their daughter for her safety and to monitor for seizures. They’ve also installed high locks on all doors. Despite her challenges, she now attends kindergarten part-time and is about to receive a seizure-detection service dog. With the right support, the family will be able to give her a better quality of life.

The legal battle

The legal battle was challenging, as Steward’s legal team withdrew in May 2024, and the hospital was uncooperative, failing to participate in the litigation. Following extensive testimony, the court entered a default award against the facility. Judge Patrick Corum awarded $951 million, emphasizing the severity and preventability of the harm. He even said, “literally, this was the most dangerous place on the planet for her to have given birth.”

Even though Steward Health Care is now in bankruptcy, our firm plans to do everything in our power to recover for the plaintiff.

The hospital is now Holy Cross Hospital – West Valley, which is run by CommonSpirit Health. CommonSpirit later issued a statement affirming that staff are now trained to national clinical standards.

Why this case matters: Accountability through litigation

This case demonstrates how litigation results can drive accountability in healthcare. It’s so important for all of us that we hold hospitals and other healthcare facilities liable when they fall so short of reasonable expectations for patient care. These facilities are tasked with providing for us and our loved ones when we’re at our most vulnerable. If we want to be able to put any trust in them at all, we need to know that they can be held accountable for their actions, especially when they so horrifically fail their patients.

Awards like this one are the only thing that can truly force dangerous systems to become safer. Having a team that is prepared to go to trial and willing to stick with the case until it’s finished is critical when families are in need not just of accountability, but also of compensation that will allow them to provide the necessary care for a victim of medical malpractice like Zancanella and McMicheal’s daughter. This award joins a long list of record-setting results our firm has achieved on behalf of individuals and families whose lives were forever changed by preventable harm. Outcomes like this, which provide so much hope and peace of mind for our clients, are the reason we do what we do.

Contact Claggett & Sykes to speak to a medical malpractice lawyer about your case

If your child suffered a birth injury due to medical negligence, you need a legal team that is ready to stand up for you. Call or fill out our contact form today to speak to one of the experienced birth injury lawyers at Claggett & Sykes. Our compassionate team of attorneys fights for families in cases where everything is at stake.