The parents of Jahxy Peets, an infant who died weeks after being born prematurely in 2022, have filed a lawsuit against Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies. They allege that their daughter’s neck was broken by a hospital employee in the NICU, and the incident was covered up without notifying authorities.
During a press conference outside the hospital, Jahxy’s parents expressed their grief and demand for justice. “I never got a chance to hear my daughter cry. She never got a chance to meet her siblings or her family. We never celebrated a single milestone. We only held her four times in her entire life,” said Jahxy’s mother, Gianna Lopera.
According to the lawsuit, filed on October 17 in Orange County, Jahxy was born prematurely at 24 weeks on June 13, 2022, and was immediately admitted to the NICU. The complaint alleges that two weeks later, a healthcare provider mishandled Jahxy, breaking her neck and returning her to her incubator without informing supervisors.
It wasn’t until other hospital staff noticed the baby had stopped moving her arms and legs that the injury was identified. A sensory-motor exam and MRI conducted on June 29 confirmed a severe spinal cord injury, leaving Jahxy paralyzed. Despite knowledge of the incident, the hospital did not identify the responsible employee or inform law enforcement.
Nicole Kruegel, the family’s attorney, revealed that police were never notified, and no investigation or incident report was filed. “As far as the parents know, this person who did this could have done it intentionally, or if they did it accidentally, they did it because they don’t know what they’re doing, and they’re still in that NICU handling babies as far as we know,” Kruegel said, according to McClatchy News.
Jahxy’s parents, Lopera and Jahmiah Peets, are seeking over $50,000 in damages and a jury trial. The lawsuit accuses Orlando Health of delaying notification to the parents and providing vague explanations. The complaint alleges that hospital staff either failed to recognize the injury or attempted to cover it up. Jahxy, who suffered severe complications and could not breathe independently, died on November 25, 2022.
Medical experts who reviewed Jahxy’s records confirmed that the injury could not have been accidental and was caused by “extreme excessive force.” In the final days of Jahxy’s life, her parents received limited information, except for a nurse advising them to seek legal counsel.
Kruegel criticized the hospital’s legal maneuvering, explaining that Orlando Health had admitted liability to push the case into arbitration, which would cap the damages and restrict further investigation. “They’re acknowledging the terrible harm they’ve caused, but only for financial purposes to limit their exposure,” she stated.
She emphasized that accepting the hospital’s admission would have prevented the family from learning the truth. “There would have been no closure for this family. And that’s the path the hospital wanted us to take, to just sweep everything under the rug and never find out what really happened,” she added.
A spokesperson for Orlando Health, Kena Lewis, declined to comment on the pending litigation, stating that the healthcare system does not comment on ongoing cases.