A birth is supposed to be one of the happiest moments in a family’s life, but for one family in Utah, a routine delivery turned into a lifetime of medical care, uncertainty, and grief. When a baby suffers permanent brain damage because hospital staff failed to act during labor, the financial and emotional toll can follow a family for decades. A record-setting court judgment out of Utah has drawn national attention to how severe these occurrences can be, and it raises questions many Texas families may be asking about their own experiences during childbirth.
At Davis & Davis, our Houston birth injury lawyers have nearly 70 years of combined experience representing families harmed by medical negligence. While our attorneys are based in Texas, we handle cases nationwide, and stories like the one below show why families need skilled legal guidance when hospital staff fails to provide the standard of care every mother and baby deserve.
How Medical Negligence Led to Azaylee’s Birth Injury
In August 2025, a Utah judge awarded $951 million to the family of Azaylee McMicheal, born in October 2019 with lifelong disabilities. According to court records, Azaylee’s mother, Anyssa Zancanella, was in labor at Jordan Valley Medical Center, then operated by Steward Health Care, when nurses who had recently completed training administered excessive doses of Pitocin. The case also alleged that staff failed to respond to signs of fetal distress while the on-call physician slept, and more than 24 hours passed before Azaylee was delivered by cesarean section.
Judge Patrick Corum found Steward liable and described the hospital as “the most dangerous place on the planet” for Zancanella to have given birth. The resulting $951 million judgment was the largest medical malpractice award in Utah history. Azaylee was five years old at the time of the ruling, largely nonverbal, experiencing seizures, and requiring constant care. Steward’s bankruptcy creates uncertainty about how much of the judgment the family may recover, but the case underscores the devastating consequences of failing to recognize fetal distress and provide timely care.
Understanding Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy and Birth Injuries
Azaylee was diagnosed with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a brain injury caused when the brain does not receive enough oxygen or blood flow around the time of birth. Depending on the severity and duration of the oxygen deprivation, HIE can result in lasting neurological problems and developmental disabilities.
A diagnosis alone does not mean medical negligence occurred, but according to the National Institutes of Health, certain failures during labor and delivery can contribute to an oxygen-deprivation injury or allow it to become more severe, often through breakdowns such as:
- Failure to monitor fetal heart rate patterns
- Delayed response to signs of fetal distress
- Improper use of labor-inducing medications like Pitocin
- Delayed cesarean delivery when medically necessary
- Inadequate staffing or supervision of inexperienced nurses
For children with severe HIE, the effects can lead to long-term medical care, therapy, and assistance with everyday activities. When the injury follows a difficult labor or delivery, reviewing what happened can help families understand whether failures in fetal monitoring or other problems with the care provided may have contributed to the outcome.
What Texas Families Should Know About Their Own Rights
Texas law gives families two years from the date of a med mal injury or wrongful death to file a lawsuit, so acting quickly after a birth injury occurrence matters. Many families do not immediately connect a child’s later diagnosis, such as cerebral palsy, with what happened in the delivery room, which is one reason working with a skilled legal team early can make a meaningful difference.
Remember, the insurance company is not looking out for your best interests. Their objective is to reach a settlement for the minimum amount you will accept, and hospitals with the resources of a large health system are rarely eager to acknowledge staffing and supervision failures like the one described above. Reviewing medical records with an attorney who understands birth injury and occurrence cases can help a family understand what truly happened.
Talk to Davis & Davis About a Potential Birth Injury Case
If your child suffered a serious injury during labor or delivery and you have questions about the care that was provided, Davis & Davis can help you take a closer look at what happened. Our attorneys bring nearly 70 years of combined experience and more than 300 jury trials to cases involving preventable medical injuries, including claims against hospitals and other healthcare providers.
We represent families on a no-upfront-fee basis, so you do not pay out of pocket unless we recover compensation on your behalf. Contact Davis & Davis for a free case evaluation to discuss what happened during your child’s birth and whether you may have grounds for a medical malpractice claim.
