Overview

• Judge Patrick Corum found the health system liable for care during an October 2019 delivery at Jordan Valley Medical Center in West Valley City.
• He condemned the hospital’s care as dangerously substandard and issued the largest damages award reported in Utah.
• Court filings describe excessive Pitocin administered by inexperienced nurses, ignored signs of fetal distress, and a C-section performed more than a day after admission.
• The child, Azaylee, now 5, has permanent brain injury with seizures, is largely nonverbal, and requires ongoing intensive care and therapy.
• Steward sold the facility to CommonSpirit and later entered Chapter 11 in 2024; it denied liability, allowed its lawyers to withdraw, has 90 days from Aug. 8 to appeal, and the family’s attorney says at least half may be collectible as punitive damages.