Current:Home > FinanceAngie Harmon sues Instacart, delivery driver who allegedly shot dog Oliver -Pinnacle Profit Strategies
Angie Harmon sues Instacart, delivery driver who allegedly shot dog Oliver
View
Date:2025-04-15 09:36:18
Angie Harmon is suing Instacart and the delivery driver who fatally shot her dog outside her home in Charlotte, North Carolina, in late March.
Harmon, 51, is suing the grocery delivery service and driver, named in the filing as Christopher Anthoney Reid, for alleged trespassing, conversion, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress, according to Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, court records obtained by USA TODAY Wednesday. The actress is suing Instacart for negligent hiring and negligent misrepresentation.
The "Rizzoli & Isles" star is seeking more than $25,000 in damages, but an exact amount would be determined at trial.
"Our hearts continue to be with Ms. Harmon and her family following this disturbing incident," Instacart said in a statement to USA TODAY Wednesday. "While we cannot comment on pending litigation, we have no tolerance for violence of any kind, and the shopper account has been permanently deactivated from our platform."
In an Instagram post on April 1, the former "Law & Order" star said a man delivering groceries for Instacart got out of his car and shot family pet Oliver aka "Ollie" the day before.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
"He shot our dog with my daughters and myself at home and just kept saying, 'Yeah, I shot your dog. Yeah I did,'" Harmon wrote at the time. "We are completely traumatized and beyond devastated at the loss of our beloved boy and family member."
Harmon said the man was not arrested after he claimed "self-defense" but added that "he did not have a scratch or bite on him nor were his pants torn."
Harmon says the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department closed the investigation after only interviewing Reid and before an animal autopsy could be completed, according to the suit.
'Completely traumatized':Angie Harmon says Instacart driver shot and killed her dog
The Instacart driver used the name and photo of an older woman named Merle, the lawsuit alleges. But instead of Merle, it was Reid who showed up at her home, a "tall and intimidating younger man."
The filing says her daughters, who are listed as parties in the suit, were playing in the backyard at the time of the delivery.
When Harmon ran to investigate what she believed was a gunshot, she alleges she saw Reid place a "gun in the front of his pants, potentially in his pant pocket." She then saw Oliver, shot but alive, the lawsuit says. The actress drove the dog to a veterinarian's office, where he later died.
Harmon says she did not give Reid "permission to interfere, interact with, or otherwise disturb Oliver."
Jon Stewartchokes up in emotional 'Daily Show' segment about his dog's death
Reid was "not injured" or "seriously threatened" by Harmon's dog and had "ample opportunity" to leave her property unharmed without shooting it, the lawsuit alleges.
For Instacart's part, Harmon's lawyers say the company provided "false information" to Harmon and "breached" its duty to "exercise ordinary and reasonable care in the screening, hiring, training, retention, and supervision of its employees."
Angie Harmon reflects on death of dog Oliver shot by Instacart driver
In a "Good Morning America" interview aired Wednesday, Harmon recalled the incident and the toll losing Oliver has taken on her family.
"It's so unfathomable to think that there is somebody in your front driveway that just fired a gun," Harmon told ABC News' Juju Chang. "And you don't ever forget that sound."
Her family was "in such shock," she said of her daughters' reactions. "I was screaming at Avery to call 911. And when I said that, (the delivery driver) goes, 'No, I'm calling 911. I'll do it.'"
The actress later said the animal autopsy performed on Oliver showed no signs of having bitten or violently attacked anyone.
Harmon's daughters, Emery, 15, and Avery Sehorn, 18, told Chang they never saw Oliver, a beagle mix, be aggressive toward delivery drivers.
"I order five Amazon packages a day, and it's never been an issue," Sehorn said.
Contributing: Anthony Robledo
veryGood! (358)
Related
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Colorado star Shedeur Sanders is nation's most-sacked QB. Painkillers may be his best blockers.
- Lake Tahoe ski resort worker killed in snowmobile accident during overnight snowmaking operations
- NWSL Championship pits Megan Rapinoe vs. Ali Krieger in ideal finale to legendary careers
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- LeBron James scores 32 points, Lakers rally to beat Suns 122-119 to snap 3-game skid
- One year after liberation, Ukrainians in Kherson hold on to hope amid constant shelling
- Judge in Trump documents case declines to delay trial for now
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- Arab American comic Dina Hashem has a debut special — but the timing is 'tricky'
Ranking
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Claire Holt Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 3 With Husband Andrew Joblon
- Lionel Messi, Inter Miami vs. NYCFC friendly: How to watch, live updates
- 'Frustration all across the board.' A day with homelessness outreach workers in L.A.
- Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
- Woman arrested after Veterans Memorial statue in South Carolina is destroyed, peed on: Police
- Trump joins media outlets in pushing for his federal election interference case to be televised
- Croatia’s defense minister is badly injured in a car crash in which 1 person died
Recommendation
'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
JAY-Z and Gayle King: Brooklyn's Own prime-time special to feature never-before-seen interview highlights
Several people shot on Interstate 59 in Alabama, police say
Siemens Gamesa scraps plans to build blades for offshore wind turbines on Virginia’s coast
This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
What makes Mongolia the world's most 'socially connected' place? Maybe it's #yurtlife
‘From the river to the sea': Why these 6 words spark fury and passion over the Israel-Hamas war
Sam Bankman-Fried is guilty, and the industry he helped build wants to move on