Current:Home > MarketsAngie Harmon sues Instacart, delivery driver who allegedly shot dog Oliver -ApexWealth
Angie Harmon sues Instacart, delivery driver who allegedly shot dog Oliver
View
Date:2025-04-12 01:35:02
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! (25)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- How West Virginia’s first transgender elected official is influencing local politics
- Red, White & Royal Blue Will Reign Again With Upcoming Sequel
- Maggie Goodlander, wife of national security adviser Jake Sullivan, launches congressional campaign in New Hampshire
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- TikToker Taylor Odlozil Shares Wife Haley's Final Words to Son Before Death From Ovarian Cancer
- Post Malone, Morgan Wallen's awaited collab 'I Had Some Help' is out. Is a country album next?
- Neil Young reunites with Crazy Horse after a decade, performs double encore
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- Federal judge orders Florida man held without bond in his estranged wife’s disappearance in Spain
Ranking
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- Hollywood penthouse condo sells for $24 million: See inside the luxury space
- How West Virginia’s first transgender elected official is influencing local politics
- Eurovision 2024: Grand Final set as Israeli contestant advances in second set of 10
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Iowa sex trafficking victim who killed alleged abuser sought by authorities
- Target to reduce number of stores carrying Pride-themed merchandise after last year’s backlash
- Maggie Goodlander, wife of national security adviser Jake Sullivan, launches congressional campaign in New Hampshire
Recommendation
Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
Luka Doncic bounces back, helps Mavericks hand Thunder first loss of NBA playoffs
‘Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum’ in development with Andy Serkis to direct and star
As mental health issues plague Asian American communities, some fight silence around issue
Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
Former NBA player Glen 'Big Baby' Davis sentenced to 40 months in insurance fraud scheme
Battered by boycott and backlash, Target to no longer sell Pride collection in all stores
Woman sentenced to 55 years for death of longtime friend stabbed nearly 500 times