Robert De Niro company loses lawsuit against ex-assistant - must pay nearly £1m
Robert De Niro's former assistant has won her huge lawsuit against the actor's production company, accusing it of facilitating a toxic work environment.
Graham Chase Robinson, 41, has been awarded close to £1million in damages payments after De Niro's Canal Productions was found liable on Thursday evening at Manhattan Federal Court.
Robinson will receive two identical payments of close to £500,000 for sexual discrimination and retaliation. She was initially seeking almost £10million in damages, to which De Niro counter sued for close to £5million for air miles she took. Robinson wasn't found liable on that case.
It took the seven jurors just a few hours to make the decision after an eighth juror called in sick. It wasn't explained as to why De Niro wasn't liable for claims of sexual discrimination or retaliation. Robinson was said to be effectively his fixer. She claimed she was expected to be on-call 24/7 365 days a year to help with anything he or his family needed.
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Robert De Niro's company lost the lawsuit (AP)De Niro, who has been embroiled in lawsuits with Robinson since 2019, wasn't in court on Thursday for the announcement. The ex-assistant was seen smiling after hearing the decision. She also hugged her lawyers once the jurors left the courtroom. Her emotions seemingly ran rampant as Robinson was smiling one moment and appeared to be on the verge of tears the next.
Lawyers on both sides of the aisle claimed victory. "We're thrilled with the verdict," Robinson's attorney, Brent Hannafan, said as he stood with his client outside the courthouse. "Couldn't be happier." Meanwhile, De Niro attorney Richard Schoenstein called the verdict "a great victory for Mr. De Niro."
Both sides of the aisle claimed victory after hearing the decision (Getty Images)"He is absolved. He is not liable for anything that was charged against him at all," Schoenstein said. "There's a modest award against the company. But, you know, they were looking for $12 million."
During the lawsuit, the jurors heard a number of bombshells. One included Robinson claiming that during her employment with the Oscar winner, she was called abusive names and shouted at, as well as a host of bizarre and unusual requests made by De Niro. She also claimed he would call her while he was on the toilet and ask her to scratch his back, as opposed to using a device to carry out the task.
When speaking in court on November 3, Robinson said: "I mentioned there was a back scratcher he could use instead. 'He said 'I prefer the way you do it'. It was creepy, just disgusting."
Robinson has been awarded almost £1million (Getty Images)De Niro refused to accept his actions were untoward and also said his requests did not constitute gender discrimination.
Robinson's plaintiff complaint also had claims about the Oscar winner using a hostile, abusive and intimidating manner, while reportedly using terms such as "b***h" and "brat" when addressing Robinson.
It also stated: "De Niro would unleash tirades against Ms. Robinson – often while he was intoxicated – in which he denigrated, berated, bullied, and hurled expletives at her.
Robinson seemed unable to contain her joy after winning the lawsuit (AP)De Niro and his girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, each testified that Robinson became an issue when her aspirations to go beyond Canal Productions. They said her head became inflated, prompting her to demand more and more to stay on the job. De Niro lawyers asserted that Robinson was infatuated with De Niro.
The Oscar winner's defence showed the jury emails in which Chen told De Niro that she was probably having "imaginary intimacy" with him, wishing she was his wife. Robinson rebuked those claims on the stand.
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