Current:Home > FinanceAngie Harmon is suing Instacart and a former shopper who shot and killed her dog, Oliver -Secure Horizon Growth
Angie Harmon is suing Instacart and a former shopper who shot and killed her dog, Oliver
View
Date:2025-04-16 21:54:38
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Actor Angie Harmon has filed a lawsuit against Instacart and one of its former shoppers who fatally shot her dog in March while delivering groceries at her North Carolina home.
The lawsuit filed late last week in Mecklenburg County seeks to hold the shopper and Instacart liable for accusations of trespassing, gross negligence, emotional distress and invasion of privacy, among other allegations. It accuses Instacart of engaging in negligent hiring, supervision, retention and misrepresentation. The suit seeks monetary damages, to be determined at trial.
Instacart says the shopper has since been permanently banned from its platform.
Harmon is known for her work on TV shows including “Law & Order” and “Rizolli & Isles.” She told ABC News that it was “so unfathomable to think that there is somebody in your front driveway that just fired a gun.”
“I think Instacart is beyond responsible for all of this. This didn’t have to happen,” Harmon said in the interview that aired Wednesday on “Good Morning America.” ABC News described the dog as a “beagle mix.”
According to the complaint, Harmon ordered an Instacart groceries delivery from a Charlotte store on March 30. The Instacart app showed a shopper named Merle with a profile photo of an older woman, with whom Harmon believed she was exchanging text messages about her order, the lawsuit says.
Later that day, Harmon was upstairs filling her squirrel feeders when a “tall and intimidating younger man,” not an older woman, showed up to deliver the groceries, the lawsuit says.
Harmon said she heard a gunshot sound and rushed outside. She found her dog, Oliver, had been shot, and saw the delivery person putting a gun into the front of his pants, according to the suit. Her teenage daughters, who had already been outside, were “in distress,” it says. The dog died at the veterinarian’s office.
The shopper told police that he shot the dog after it attacked him, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department told news outlets, adding that they did not pursue criminal charges.
In an Instagram post last month about the encounter, Harmon wrote that the shopper “did not have a scratch or bite on him nor were his pants torn.”
Instacart says it immediately suspended the shopper after receiving the report about the shooting, then later removed him permanently. The company says it runs comprehensive background checks on shoppers, prohibits them from carrying weapons and has anti-fraud measures that include periodically requiring them to take a photo of themselves to ensure the person shopping matches their photo on file.
“Our hearts continue to be with Ms. Harmon and her family following this disturbing incident,” Instacart said in a statement. “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.”
veryGood! (1)
Related
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- SIG SAUER announces expansion of ammunition manufacturing facility in Arkansas with 625 new jobs
- After shooting at Morgan State University in Baltimore, police search for 2 suspects
- What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing and listening
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- The emotional toll of clearing debris from the Maui wildfires 2 months later
- UN warns Pakistan that forcibly deporting Afghans could lead to severe human rights violations
- Toddlers with developmental delays are missing out on help they need. It can hurt them long term
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- An app shows how ancient Greek sites looked thousands of years ago. It’s a glimpse of future tech
Ranking
- Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
- Man found guilty of murder in deaths of 3 neighbors in Portland, Oregon
- Judge pauses litigation in classified docs case while mulling Trump's request
- Hamas fighters storm Israeli towns in surprise attack; Israel responds with deadly strikes on Gaza
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- How David and Victoria Beckham's Marriage Survived and Thrived After Scandal
- Former US intelligence officer charged with trying to give classified defense information to China
- Former Tropical Storm Philippe’s remnants headed to waterlogged New England and Atlantic Canada
Recommendation
Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
Former legislator fired as CEO of Humane Society of Southern Arizona over missing animals
In Philadelphia journalist Josh Kruger murder, 'armed and dangerous' suspect wanted by police
Former US intelligence officer charged with trying to give classified defense information to China
Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
MLB playoff predictions: Braves are World Series favorites, but postseason looks wide open
From runways to rockets: Prada will help design NASA's spacesuits for mission to the moon
ACLU sues a Tennessee city over an anti-drag ordinance