Julia Reagan’s husband sues University of Utah Hospital over ‘wrongful

Editor’s Note: A lawsuit only represents one side of a story.

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The family of Julia Reagan — a woman publicly known from billboard memorials across several states — is suing University of Utah Health claiming its staff’s negligence led to her “wrongful death.”

Julia Reagan’s husband, William Reagan, is suing University of Utah hospitals seeking damages, or monetary compensation, for alleged negligence after Julia Reagan died at age 81 at the U of U Hospital.

Who is Julia Reagan? Utah billboards prompt the question

“The U is liable for the acts and omissions of its employees, agents and representatives, including but not limited to nurses responsible for Julia’s care after she was admitted to the hospital,” the lawsuit reads.

On June 11, 2024, Julia Reagan was admitted to the hospital’s emergency department after experiencing vomiting, drowsiness, and an “altered mental status.”

Medical professionals took several tests and determined she needed to be watched for “aspiration risk.” According to the lawsuit, doctors allegedly never removed the fluid from her enlarged stomach and nurses did not keep her head in an elevated position as directed.

The following day, Julia Reagan experienced severe vomiting leading to brain and lung injuries, cardiac arrest, and death, the lawsuit says.

Autopsy results allegedly determined the cause of death to be “sudden cardiorespiratory arrest after aspirating bilious emesis (vomit) due to small bowel obstruction from extensive abdominal adhesions.”

The lawsuit claims the University of Utah Health staff breached the standards of care by failing to determine the most likely cause of her symptoms and decrease the risk of aspiration.

“Despite Julia’s documented history of decreased mental alertness, repeated vomiting, distended and fluid-filled hiatal hernia and stomach, and the specific orders of aspiration precautions, Julia was not checked on sufficiently and was not kept in an elevated head position thereafter,” the lawsuit reads.

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The civil suit is seeking monetary compensation for her “wrongful death” and prolonged pain and suffering, as well as for emotional damages and loss of income and household services to her heirs. They are also seeking compensation for medical and funeral expenses and the cost of attorneys.

U of U Health provided the following statement to ABC4 regarding the lawsuit:

As always, the care of our patients is our priority. We don’t comment on specific patient cases or ongoing litigation.

U of U Health

Julia Reagan first came into the public spotlight following her death as her family memorialized her with billboard tributes across several states, including Utah, Tennesee, and Indiana. Her husband founded Reagan Outdoor Advertising, a large billboard company based out of Salt Lake City.

The billboards popped up shortly after her death and several still remain posted along highways and busy streets today.

According to the obituary, Julia Reagan had a Ph.D. from the University of Utah, was the mother of four children, and was deeply involved in several political and health organizations. When she died, the family requested donations be made to a couple of University of Utah family scholarships.

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