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Los Angeles, Calif. — Touted as the largest dog owner malpractice settlement in U.S. history, the Bluestone case didn't survive the appellate process, but the staggering $39,000 verdict against two veterinarians stands.
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. — Touted as the largest dog owner malpractice settlement in U.S. history, the Bluestone case didn't survive the appellate process, but the staggering $39,000 verdict against two veterinarians stands.
At presstime, defendants Dr. Craig S. Bergstrom and Dr. Robert L. Rooks and plaintiff Marc Bluestone have agreed "not to move forward with the appeal process." Both parties have signed documents agreeing to drop the appeal and cross-appeal, reports Valerie Fenstermaker, executive director of the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA).
No other details of the deal were disclosed.
For veterinary medicine, the decision actually smothers the precedent-setting potential for this case, which was feared to further inflate damage awards in veterinary malpractice cases.
The original lawsuit against Bergstrom and Rooks of All-Care Animal Referral Center in Fountain Valley was filed after a 3-year-old Labrador Retriever died of liver failure. The pet owner sued the two veterinarians for negligence, deceit and unfair business practices.