Jury Sides With Ex-Assistant in Lawsuit Against De Niro

Actor's company is ordered to pay $1.2M
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 9, 2023 4:40 PM CST
Jury Sides With Ex-Assistant in Lawsuit Against De Niro
Actor Robert De Niro leaves federal court after attending closing arguments in a civil trial in New York on Wednesday.   (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

A jury awarded more than $1.2 million to Robert De Niro's former personal assistant on Thursday, finding that a company he formed to look after his personal needs was liable for gender discrimination and retaliation after Graham Chase Robinson accused the actor of subjecting her to a toxic work environment. While the jury found De Niro was not personally liable for the abuse, they said Canal Productions should make two payments of $632,142 to Robinson. De Niro, who spent three days at the two-week trial, including two on the witness stand, has been ensnared in dueling lawsuits with Robinson since she quit in April 2019. He was not in the New York courtroom when the verdict was read aloud on Thursday afternoon, the AP reports.

Robinson, 41, testified that De Niro, 80, and his girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, teamed up against her to turn a job she once loved into a nightmare. She smiled and hugged all her lawyers after the jury left the room. She also smiled as the verdict was being delivered. De Niro and Chen each testified that Robinson became the problem when her aspirations to move beyond Canal Productions, which employed her, led her to make escalating demands to remain on the job. In his testimony, the actor told jurors that he boosted Robinson's salary from less than $100,000 annually to $300,000 and elevated her title to vice president of production and finance at her request, even though her responsibilities remained largely the same.

Robinson testified that she quit her job during an "emotional and mental breakdown" that left her overwhelmed and feeling like she'd "hit rock bottom." She said she has suffered from anxiety and depression since quitting and hasn't worked in four years despite applying for 638 jobs. "I don't have a social life," she said. "I'm so humiliated and embarrassed and feel so judged. I feel so damaged in a way. ... I lost my life. Lost my career. Lost my financial independence. I lost everything." De Niro's lawyers sued Robinson for breach of loyalty and fiduciary duty even before her lawsuit was filed against him in 2019, per the AP. They sought $6 million in damages.

(More Robert De Niro stories.)

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