The Law and Order actor is seeking thousands of dollars in damages
Law and Order star Angie Harmon has filed a lawsuit against Instacart and a delivery driver who she claims killed her dog while dropping off groceries.
The suit comes after Harmon scheduled a grocery delivery from a store in Charlotte, North Carolina, on 30 March, believing at the time she was interacting with a driver named ‘Merle’.
The Instacart app allows users to order groceries. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Harmon claimed the image the driver used on the app while answering questions about her order depicted an older woman. However, when the driver arrived it was actually a man named Christopher Anthoney Reid.
The lawsuit accuses Reid, who was described as a ‘tall and intimidating younger man’, of ‘impersonating Merle on the Instacart app’.
When Reid arrived at Harmon’s home, the actor described hearing ‘what sounded like a gunshot’, while in the back yard with her children.
The suit claimed Harmon ran to figure out the source of the sound, and allegedly found Reid ‘placing a gun in the front of his pants, potentially in his pant pocket.’
“Looking to the side, she saw that her beloved dog, Oliver, was shot. Although shot, Oliver was still alive,” the suit continued.
Angie Harmon paid tribute to her dog on Instagram. (Instagram/@angieharmon)
Harmon rushed the small dog to the vet’s office, but he sadly died.
After Reid was questioned, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said he claimed he shot the dog in self-defence after it had attacked him when he arrived at the home.
“He defended himself by firing a single gunshot, striking and mortally wounding the dog. Another dog was present at the residence but did not attack,” the statement from CMPD Public Affairs said.
However, the lawsuit argues Reid was ‘not injured’ or ‘seriously threatened’ by Harmon’s dog, and that he had ‘ample opportunity’ to leave the property without shooting Oliver.
It also claims the case was closed before an animal autopsy could be completed.
In the wake of the incident, Instacart released a statement saying it has ‘no tolerance for violence of any kind’.
Angie Harmon said the family was ‘traumatized’ after the shooting. (Instagram/@angieharmon)
They have since shared another statement , saying: “Our hearts continue to be with Ms. Harmon and her family following this disturbing incident.
“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.”
Instacart’s user agreement prohibits carrying a weapon and fraud.
The driver was not charged with any criminal charges at the time, but the lawsuit accuses Reid of alleged trespassing, conversion, negligence, negligent supervision/hiring, invasion of privacy and negligent misrepresentation.
Harmon is is seeking more than $25,000 in damages, though the exact amount of money will be determined at trial.