In an ongoing civil trial, renowned actor Robert De Niro has returned to the witness stand to provide additional testimony in the legal battle against his former assistant, Graham Chase Robinson. The trial, conducted at a federal courthouse in New York City, aims to resolve disputes between De Niro’s company, Canal Productions, and his former assistant.
During his testimony on the second day of the trial, De Niro acknowledged using strong language and berating Robinson over the 11 years she worked for his company. When questioned by Robinson’s attorney, Andrew Macurdy, De Niro admitted to calling her names, including terms such as “petulant,” “snippy,” and a derogatory phrase, particularly in response to an incident where Robinson failed to wake him for a crucial meeting. However, De Niro clarified that he had raised his voice but did not consider it yelling, distinguishing between the two forms of expression. He characterized berating Robinson as a rare occurrence in their working relationship.
The legal dispute originally emerged in 2019 when Canal Productions filed a $6 million lawsuit against Robinson following her departure from the position of Vice President for Production and Finance. The company accused her of inappropriately using company resources, including excessive Netflix viewing during work hours, making personal charges on the corporate credit card, and misusing De Niro’s frequent flyer miles.
In response, Robinson filed a $12 million counter-lawsuit, alleging violations of the New York City Human Rights Law. Her claims included accusations of sexist comments directed at her by De Niro, being assigned stereotypical female job tasks that did not align with her job title, and receiving lower pay compared to her male colleague, Dan Harvey.
De Niro addressed the issue of the alleged gender-based pay discrepancy during his testimony. He underscored the extensive experience and loyalty of Dan Harvey, who has served as his personal trainer since 1991. De Niro questioned Robinson’s expectation of receiving the same salary as a colleague who had dedicated 40 years to his service, implying that her claim was rooted in jealousy. De Niro dismissed the notion of gender discrimination as “so ridiculous.”
The trial continues as both parties present their cases, shedding light on the contentious legal dispute between the acclaimed actor and his former assistant.
“Yeah, fine, I berated her,” – Robert DeNiro during his defamation trial in NYC. Ron say’s “I always said, behind closed doors Democrats are nasty vicious people. I want to thank DeNiro for proving my point. pic.twitter.com/F2Z31Y3S68
— Ron Milner (@RonMilnerBoodle) October 31, 2023
