Actor De Niro’s production company has to pay around 1.1 million euros in compensation to an ex-employee because of gender-specific discrimination. The Hollywood star himself denied the allegations.
Hollywood star Robert De Niro’s production company has to pay millions in damages to his former assistant Graham Chase Robinson. The jury in a civil trial found the plaintiff right that she had been disadvantaged and discriminated against because of her gender. Robinson is expected to receive compensation equivalent to around 1.1 million euros.
The legal dispute began four years ago. The now 41-year-old had worked for the Hollywood star for eleven years. In spring 2019 she quit her job with the Oscar winner. Shortly thereafter, he sued Robinson for $6 million for breach of trust and breach of fiduciary duty. He also demanded the return of $85,000 worth of airline miles that she had stolen from him.
Robinson responded with a countersuit. Her ex-boss attacked her because of her gender, did not pay her appropriately and insulted her with derogatory insults. Among other things, she demanded twelve million dollars in damages from De Niro due to the psychological stress she suffered.
His company Canal Productions exposed her to a toxic working environment, discriminated against her and harassed her because of her gender. But despite the managerial position in the company, Robinson testified in court that she had to carry out “typical female tasks.”
De Niro’s assistant and her lawyer Alexandra Hardin (left) leave the courthouse in New York
Do laundry and clean the apartment
So she had to do De Niro’s laundry or clean his apartment. During the trial, Robinson also accused the Hollywood star of making lewd comments toward her and repeatedly seeking “close physical contact.”
The jury found it proven that Robinson was exposed to a toxic work environment and was discriminated against and harassed because of her gender while working for De Niro’s production company. However, the compensation awarded by the court fell far short of Robinson’s demand, which had demanded twelve million euros.
She testified in the civil trial that the actor and his partner Tiffany Chen conspired against her to make her former dream job a living hell. Her experiences as De Niro’s assistant plunged her into depression and made it impossible for her to start a new job after she was fired.
De Niro dismisses allegations as “nonsense”.
De Niro himself appeared as a witness in the trial. However, he will not be held liable for the compensation now imposed.
He accused Robinson of becoming a problem case as she made ever greater demands on him. He raised her annual salary from less than $100,000 to $300,000 and, at her request, promoted her to vice president of production and finance.
She had become a “problem case” and had made ever greater demands on him – even after he had promoted her and significantly increased her salary without the plaintiff’s tasks in the company having increased. The actor strictly rejected the allegations made against him as “nonsense”. He never behaved disrespectfully towards Robinson. But she abused his trust.
Both sides see the outcome as a victory
At the same time, he indirectly admitted some of his ex-assistant’s allegations. It could be that he once told her that his private trainer earned more than her, partly because he had a family to support. De Niro also admitted that he asked Robinson to scratch his back on at least two occasions, which she described as “gross” on the witness stand. Although he may have raised his voice in her presence, he never behaved disrespectfully towards her and never yelled at her.
He accused her of stealing five million airline miles from his company. At the same time, he admitted that he had told her that she could take two million air miles and that there were no strict rules.
After the trial ended, both sides viewed its outcome as a victory. De Niro’s lawyers emphasized that all allegations against their client had been dismissed by the court. De Niro was “completely acquitted” and not held liable for anything. Robinson’s lawyers were also “delighted” with the verdict and considered it a success.