Marc Bluestone
Multi-Sportstar
November 2004
"Animals are beings with intrinsic worth and with far more value to their guardians than any amount of money."
Marc Bluestone, was born in Pittsburgh and moved to Los Angeles when he was 4 years old. Marc was vice president of a large textile company in his 20s and had his own textile company for 25 years, stopping his business, when his precious dog Shane was killed in 1999, to pursue justice under the law. Marc also was involved in many real estate investments. Marc has been "extraordinarily blessed" in his life in his sports accomplishments, playing with pro-athletes in baseball, basketball and football.
Marc got his first dog, Frisky, when he was eight years old. In his 20's, Marc saved his second dog, Duke, after he got hit by a car. His next dog Tanya, who Marc had for 16 years, was found as a puppy in the street. In 1996, Marc brought home a puppy named Shane, who was later killed in 1999.
In a precedent-setting ruling on February 20, following a seven-week trial, an Orange County, CA, Superior Court awarded animal guardian Marc Bluestone $39,000 in a civil case against All-Care Animal Referral Center veterinarian Craig Bergstrom for malpractice and wrongdoing. The jury found that Shane had a "special unique value" as a companion, and that Bergstrom was aware of that fact; so the court awarded Mr. Bluestone more than "market value" in compensation for the loss.
Shane spent two and a half months at All-Care, and was given over 30 drugs during that time. Marc traveled three hours round trip to be with Shane, and spent ten hours a day at the hospital After four years in litigation and over $375,000 in legal fees, he has finally gotten justice.
Terri Macellaro, the prosecuting attorney in the Bluestone case, stated "This is a landmark case because it's the first time that our legal system has recognized that animals have tremendous value," Terri said. "The jury ruled that Shane had a five-digit value to her guardian even though her market value was only $10.
Most recently, Marc brought home a puppy named Starr. He calls all of his dogs "pure love" a phrase he coined as a child and one that has prevailed throughout his life. He will talk about this "pure love" in his book and lectures, and believes that this pure love between humans and animals will "burst across American like has never been heard and seen before."
