Following the 1999 death of Marc’s 3-year-old, 50 lb. golden labrador mix named Shane due to atrocious veterinary malpractice, Marc’s PURE LOVE and devotion for Shane drove him to permanently give up his textile business of 35 years to pursue justice under the law. Marc was determined to expose the sheer evil that had been perpetrated by greed upon Shane. Marc dedicated the next five years of his life towards bringing the case to trial, forgoing more than seven figures of income during that time. In the name of decency and for the betterment of the animal kingdom, Marc knew that this injustice must be exposed. As he stated, “no amount of money will buy my silence.”
Marc willingly gave four and a half days of testimony on the stand during the trial, during which he stayed calm and composed, while inside, his heart was breaking.
In 2004, following the seven-week Superior Court jury trial, for the first time in our nation’s history, a “special and unique value” had been assigned as financial compensation for the bond between human and animal (as Marc coined and called in the trial the “PURE LOVE between Shane and myself.”). The significance of this is that a monetary value was awarded for the irreplaceable loss of Shane above a piece of property (such as worth $10), rather than the typical value (i.e. actual cost to replace the animal). Obviously, veterinary malpractice was established during the trial and verdict. The financial award was $39,000.
This decision, at the time, marked the highest monetary value awarded between man and animal. In total, Marc had personally spent $500,000 towards the total litigation that ultimately concluded at the end of 2005. After the trial, the defendants filed and then dropped their appeal in 2005.
Of note, Marc did come across a few good and decent people in litigation, including one attorney. She took his case on Pro Bono early on in the case, throughout the trial and afterward.
The story and trial were both enthusiastically covered by local and national media alike for years (Click here to see just a few news articles from Los Angeles Times, Newsweek and The Orange County Register), including TV and Radio interviews. Recently, after all the litigation concluded, Marc was told by a member of the media that he was considered “the one hope for dogs and for dog lovers.” Marc states: “I would like to publicly thank all the media outlets throughout the years since Shane was killed on the infamous day of April 2, 1999. Thank you for acknowledging and admiring my accomplishments, courage and will in honor of my ‘baby.’”
However, what continues to humble Marc the most was a written acknowledgement to him from singer and film icon Doris Day after the trial, wherein Doris Day congratulated him on his commitment and courage for Shane. She further commended Marc on his efforts on behalf of Shane, which now protect many animals. She signed her letter to Marc “With love to you and for the animals.” Marc says he was also greatly touched when acquaintances presented testimonials to his character during the Shane Trial.
When people ask Marc what made Shane so special to him, his response is simple: “Every second of her presence I felt the joy of our life together.” During the trial, Marc said about Shane: “I am her and she is me in the true spirit of the word.” The American people only know a very small part (as Marc calls it “a grain of sand at the beach”) in regards to what was perpetrated on his beloved Shane and himself from beginning to end. Marc’s renowned vet expert stated during the trial that this was the worst vet malpractice ever by far.
As Marc stated during the trial, “What was perpetrated on my Shane to systematically experiment, torture, butcher and kill her is sheer evil by any civilized society.” Marc adds later, “This is just the tip of the iceberg of what was done to make as much money as possible.”