A federal judge in Camden has tossed out a lawsuit against 7-Eleven Corp. filed by a store employee injured in an armed robbery.

U.S. District Judge Joseph Rodriguez dismissed the suit after finding 7-Eleven owed no duty of care to the employee, Adil Boutahli. Rodriguez found that case law cited by the company established that Boutahli must show that the company had day-to-day control over the store, but the judge said the facts did not support such an assertion.

While the franchise agreement gives 7-Eleven control over many aspects of the store's operations, the agreement also says the franchisee controls "the manner and means of and the conduct of your agents and employees, including the day-to-day operations of the Store and all Store employees."

"In short, the franchise agreement shows with clarity that, while 7-Eleven does have certain control over the store, it does not exercise control over the day-to-day operations of the store," Rodriguez wrote. It follows that "agency theories do not provide a basis for 7-Eleven to be held liable for the harms that Boutahli suffered as a result of the armed robbery."

In addition, Rodriguez wrote, courts have held that a franchisor's duty under agency theories is synonymous with whether it is a "possessor of land." Because 7-Eleven does not possess the land, it does not owe Boutahli a duty of care, and it is entitled to summary judgment, Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez also dismissed claims against North Bay Associates, a company that subleased the premises to 7-Eleven. Since the plaintiff failed to demonstrate that North Bay is a possessor of the land in question, it has "less control over the property than 7-Eleven does," Rodriguez said when he granted it summary judgment.

"7-Eleven has a clearly defined limited role when it comes to how the store operates each day. It follows that, like in the cases discussed above, agency theories do not provide a basis for 7-Eleven to be held liable for the harms that Boutahli suffered as a result of the armed robbery," Rodriguez said.

Boutahli, then 28, was working by himself on the overnight shift at a 7-Eleven in Pennsauken in November 2013 when three men entered the store, pistol-whipped and shot him when he reached for an emergency alarm button.

Boutahli suffered injuries to his spinal cord with partial paralysis, as well as psychological conditions that include post-traumatic stress disorder.

Scott Goldberg of Petrillo & Goldberg in Pennsauken, who represented Boutahli, did not respond to a request for comment. Daniel Young of Ward Greenberg in Philadelphia, representing 7-Eleven and North Bay, also did not respond to a request for comment.