Current:Home > MyAngie Harmon is suing Instacart and a former shopper who shot and killed her dog, Oliver -Ascend Wealth Education
Angie Harmon is suing Instacart and a former shopper who shot and killed her dog, Oliver
Robert Brown View
Date:2025-04-10 10:37:39
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! (739)
Related
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- Wolverines now considered threatened species under Endangered Species Act
- Influential Detroit pastor the Rev. Charles Gilchrist Adams dies at age 86
- Former ambassador and Republican politician sues to block Tennessee voting law
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- The Excerpt podcast: Food addiction is real. Here's how to spot it and how to fight it.
- Panama’s high court declared a mining contract unconstitutional. Here’s what’s happening next
- Georgia-Alabama predictions: Our expert picks for the 2023 SEC championship game
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- The AP Interview: Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says the war with Russia is in a new phase as winter looms
Ranking
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Members of global chemical weapons watchdog vote to keep Syria from getting poison gas materials
- Former Blackhawks player Corey Perry apologizes for 'inappropriate and wrong' behavior
- Sebastian the husky reunited with owner after getting stuck in Kentucky sewer drain
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Underwater video shows Navy spy plane's tires resting on coral after crashing into Hawaii bay
- New York punished 2,000 prisoners over false positive drug tests, report finds
- Iran sends a hip-hop artist who rapped about hijab protests back to jail
Recommendation
Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
Okta says security breach disclosed in October was way worse than first thought
Former UK Treasury chief Alistair Darling, who steered nation through a credit crunch, has died
Meadow Walker Pays Tribute to Dad Paul Walker With Sweet Video 10 Years After His Death
What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
California father helped teen daughter make $40K off nude photos, sheriff's office says
House passes resolution to block Iran’s access to $6 billion from prisoner swap
Powerball winning numbers for November 29th drawing: Jackpot now at $400 million