BERRIEN COUNTY, MI (WKZO) -- He defended his employer’s place by putting his life on the line and in gratitude they fired him.  Now the courts say the company’s rights over ride his rights to defend himself.

The firing of a Walgreens pharmacist in Benton Township for shooting at a man trying to rob the store in May 2011 has been upheld by a federal judge in Grand Rapids. U.S. District Judge Janet Neff ruled yesterday that even though Jeremy Hoven was legally carrying a concealed weapon, doing so at work was against the company policy of Walgreens and Michigan's Concealed Pistol Licensing Act offers no legal protection in that instance. Hoven was fired eight days after stopping the attempted armed robbery, during which he fired after the suspect pointed a gun at him.