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Fired for pulling gun on robbers, pharmacist sues
MSNBC ^ | 09/12/11 | Scott Stump

Posted on 09/13/2011 6:41:56 AM PDT by DFG

After the hair-raising confrontation that was captured on surveillance video, Jeremy Hovan’s employer rewarded him with a pink slip. Now, Hovan is fighting back, filing a federal lawsuit against Walgreens for wrongful termination.

“No life was lost, no life was harmed, and nothing was stolen,’’ Hovan’s lawyer, Dan Swanson, told NBC News. “So in that context, I think he was a hero. He was exercising his reasonable right of self-defense in the face of a gunman who attempted to pull a trigger three times and shoot him. Presumably, shoot him dead.’’

(Excerpt) Read more at today.msnbc.msn.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: banglist; hovan; pharmacist; walgreens
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1 posted on 09/13/2011 6:42:06 AM PDT by DFG
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To: DFG

Time to make a scene outside and at Walgreens.


2 posted on 09/13/2011 6:49:12 AM PDT by George from New England (escaped CT in 2006, now living north of Tampa)
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To: DFG

State was Michigan.

Shoot [pun intended?], instead of suing why not send his resume down to some indie pharmacies in Texas. He’d probably get at least a dozen offers. Walgreens liking to keep a lid on scandals for the sake of its nationwide brand, might still settle this thing out of court.


3 posted on 09/13/2011 6:53:21 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (There's gonna be a Redneck Revolution! (See my freep page) [rednecks come in many colors])
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To: DFG

While I am against frivoolous suits, I hope this guy wins enough to buy walgreens.


4 posted on 09/13/2011 6:54:24 AM PDT by freeangel ( (free speech is only good until someone else doesn't like it)
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To: DFG
What this tells me is that if I'm in a Walgreens and trouble comes in the door, forget about any help from the employees.

They won't be getting my business.
5 posted on 09/13/2011 6:56:17 AM PDT by Shannon
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To: DFG

Years ago a Coke delivery driver was docked a day’s pay for buying a Pepsi at lunch. Pepsi made a big deal out of sending the man a check for a day’s pay and offering him a job, which embarrassed the heck out of Coke and forced them to give the driver his pay back. I’m surprised no Walgreen’s competitors haven’t jumped all over this if only for the sake of publicity.


6 posted on 09/13/2011 6:57:50 AM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
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To: DFG

Walgreens, like most every other company, has in place certain rules of conduct. Among them, are the prohibition of ‘protecting’ the store from theft. If someone is hurt; then Walgreens is sued - as that employee is a Walgreens representative.

That being said; if a person is disarmed from self-preservation by Walgreens; then Walgreens should be held accountable for ANY injury of loss of life, should someone rob or assault an employee of that store.

Walgreens cannot have it both ways.


7 posted on 09/13/2011 6:58:14 AM PDT by Hodar ( Who needs laws; when this FEELS so right?)
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To: George from New England

Another company on my “No thanks, I can buy it elsewhere” list.


8 posted on 09/13/2011 6:58:42 AM PDT by BilLies (330,000 northern whites died between 1861-65 so that Obama could use Affirmative Action.)
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To: DFG

This has been standard practice for some time, retailers dismissing employees present during a robbery. The premise was that the employees were participating in an “inside job”. I worked a few retail jobs in the 80’s, and this was in the employee handbook as a cause for firing.


9 posted on 09/13/2011 6:59:09 AM PDT by factoryrat (We are the producers, the creators. Grow it, mine it, build it.)
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To: Hodar

I’d be surprised if the pharmacist can even carry “pepper spray.”


10 posted on 09/13/2011 7:02:45 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (There's gonna be a Redneck Revolution! (See my freep page) [rednecks come in many colors])
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To: factoryrat

Funny this isn’t a bigger scandal than it is.


11 posted on 09/13/2011 7:04:01 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (There's gonna be a Redneck Revolution! (See my freep page) [rednecks come in many colors])
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To: Shannon

Now if YOU (the customer) were the hero... hope they wouldn’t be so petty as to sue you for what got busted by the bullets that passed through the perp.


12 posted on 09/13/2011 7:05:44 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (There's gonna be a Redneck Revolution! (See my freep page) [rednecks come in many colors])
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To: DFG
Walgreens Corporate: 847-914-2500. Ask for "customer service" and you'll go right through to the exec offices.

The man who took my call was very nice. He said they've been inundated with calls.
13 posted on 09/13/2011 7:08:33 AM PDT by Shannon
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To: DFG

Walgreens just made my ban list. Not that I shop there but once a year or so but why give them even one thin dime.


14 posted on 09/13/2011 7:43:15 AM PDT by bgill (There, happy now?)
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To: DFG

After showing the video, our local news reader stated that Hovan “escalated” things by using his weapon. What I saw was the robbers fleeing the scene rather than taking everything they could and possibly hurting or killing someone. You just never know when people intend to do more than just rob. Funny how we saw things so differently, isn’t it?


15 posted on 09/13/2011 7:50:38 AM PDT by happilymarriedmom
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To: happilymarriedmom

I just made the call myself. Took about 30 seconds. The guy was very nice and promised to forward my comments on to management. I basically said that the people who make policies like this and who fired the employee were idiots and I’ll certainly be finding other places to shop! I could hear him typing....


16 posted on 09/13/2011 9:52:42 AM PDT by Jerrybob
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To: Jerrybob

Seems to me its these kinds of policies that have escalated the flash mob mentality. They know the shop owners or workers either can’t or won’t do anything so they are free to pillage & plunder all they want with no recourse. Maybe if more places posted that they have personal protection items on hand, there would be fewer of these robberies. But that is probably obvious to most of us here!


17 posted on 09/13/2011 10:18:04 AM PDT by happilymarriedmom
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To: DFG

I was watching Fox news when an interesting/disturbing story came on concerning an employee of Walgreen’s, or I should say ex employee. The ex employee is Mr. J. Hoven. Mr. Hoven was thrust into a very scary position when two criminals attempted to rob and murder people in the Walgreen store where he was a pharmacist.

Walgreen’s fired Mr. Hoven for defending his own life and the lives of others. Walgreen’s claimed Mr. Hoven did not follow co. policy pertaining to just being a good little victim, as it turns out the video shows the criminal trying to gun down Mr. Hoven prior to Mr. Hoven responding and shooting back with his legal licensed handgun. The criminals gun malfunctioned…….thank God.

According to this story, Walgreen’s refuses to produce their so-called policy on employees and how they are ‘trained’ to respond to a robbery. Why is it that you will not produce this policy for Mr. Hoven’s attorney? Is it because it does not exist?

Whether or not such a policy exists is really not very relevant to this story, Mr. Hoven’s a hero, is an American citizen, has a God given right to self defense, backed up also by the Second Amendment. No company supersedes either. Whom ever wrote such an ass backward policy endangering employees lives at Walgreen’s is a completely clueless moron, hidden within the safety of corporate headquarters, far removed from the ‘front’ lines.

Rest assured I will not darken the doorway of another Walgreen’s until you wake up and put the lives of your employees before your ‘bottom line’, and I will do my best through my blog to spread the word. Change your foolish/dangerous policy and allow employees whom are legally licensed to carry a handgun, do so at work, without fear of being helplessly murdered due to asinine policy makers/lawyers at Walgreen’s.

Walgreen’s has been in the news in the not to distant past for firing others who refused to be good little victims, this is a very bad company policy, (if it really exists), very criminal friendly, endangering all of the employees. Lets not go there, until Walgreen’s publicly change their attitude toward their employees. Every retail company should smarten up on this issue, and if they did robbery in these stores would go way down and the chance of survival would go up for employees. mafirearmsafety.com


18 posted on 09/13/2011 10:32:45 AM PDT by markshean (Walgreen's 'policy' Endangers Employees)
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To: Hodar
Walgreens cannot have it both ways.

Why not? The trial lawyers do...

19 posted on 09/13/2011 10:34:51 AM PDT by Last Dakotan
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To: factoryrat

I am willing to bet everyone that reads this post that ....

Every mom and pop pharmacy that is left has every staffer behind the counter, armed, or within an arms length of a weapon.

Unfortunately 99% of the pharmacies left are these liberally run chains. CVS is just as bad.


20 posted on 09/13/2011 10:46:28 AM PDT by George from New England (escaped CT in 2006, now living north of Tampa)
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