Current:Home > MyAngie Harmon sues Instacart, delivery driver who allegedly shot dog Oliver -FutureFinance
Angie Harmon sues Instacart, delivery driver who allegedly shot dog Oliver
View
Date:2025-04-18 14:43:05
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! (2)
Related
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Unsealed parts of affidavit used to justify Mar-a-Lago search shed new light on Trump documents probe
- Ohio Explores a New Model for Urban Agriculture: Micro Farms in Food Deserts
- Persistent poverty exists across much of the U.S.: The ultimate left-behind places
- Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
- Watchdog faults ineffective Border Patrol process for release of migrant on terror watchlist
- Celebrate Pride Month & Beyond With These Rainbow Fashion & Beauty Essentials
- This week on Sunday Morning (July 9)
- 2025 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to self
- Trump’s Budget Could Have Chilling Effect on U.S. Clean Energy Leadership
Ranking
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- These Father's Day Subscription Boxes From Omaha Steaks, Amazon & More Are the Perfect Gift Ideas for Dad
- Net-Zero Energy Homes Pay Off Faster Than You Think—Even in Chilly Midwest
- Q&A: Is Elizabeth Kolbert’s New Book a Hopeful Look at the Promise of Technology, or a Cautionary Tale?
- Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
- The Common Language of Loss
- Multiple shark attacks reported off New York shores; 50 sharks spotted at one beach
- Michigan’s New Governor Puts Climate Change at Heart of Government
Recommendation
Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
Britney Spears and Kevin Federline Slam Report She's on Drugs
3 Arctic Wilderness Areas to Watch as Trump Tries to Expand Oil & Gas Drilling
Do fireworks affect air quality? Here's how July Fourth air pollution has made conditions worse
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
Warming Trends: School Lunches that Help the Earth, a Coral Refuge and a Quest for Cooler Roads
Rachel Bilson’s Vibrator Confession Will Have You Buzzing
Lupita Nyong'o Brings Fierceness to Tony Awards 2023 With Breastplate Molded From Her Body