The conflict between Robert De Niro and his former executive assistant, Graham Chase Robinson, has reached a new level in a New York court, where hostilities have broken out and harsh words have been exchanged between both parties. At one point, the renowned actor, visibly angry, raised his tone too much: What a shame!"
The cross-complaints reached a fever pitch when Andrew Macurdy, the woman's lawyer, questioned De Niro about various alleged inappropriate conduct, including direct insults toward Robinson. De Niro vehemently denied such accusations, although he admitted to scolding her on a few occasions, especially once when Robinson was in Europe and forgot to remind her of an important meeting in California. The Oscar-winning actor acknowledged that he became angry and scolded her, but denied that her behavior crossed the lines of abuse.
The accusations and counter-accusations have led to a terrain in which even De Niro's personal behaviors were questioned. At one point, he was asked if it was true that he had urinated while he was talking to Robinson on the phone, to which De Niro replied that it was nonsense. Another tense moment came when Macurdy mentioned that De Niro had called Robinson a derogatory term to her face, although the actor denied it, admitting that he may have used the term in conversations with her.
Therefore, it became clear that, on occasion, De Niro denied some statements and then admitted that there could be some truth in them, but in a different way than how they were suggested, which evidenced a complicated and full of professional relationship. frustrations.
The case has also shed light on the work dynamics at De Niro's company, Canal Productions, where Robinson was promoted to vice president at his request, although her duties remained unchanged. De Niro expressed that there were no written rules for those who worked for him, as he relied on "common sense rules."
The working relationship between De Niro and Robinson, which began in 2008, was strained to a breaking point in 2019, at which point Robinson left her position frustrated by interactions with the actor's girlfriend and having to endure, according to her, a bad work environment and performing "stereotypically feminine" tasks. Thus, Robinson gave up an annual salary of $300,000
The interpreter's former employee is seeking millions in compensation after pointing out De Niro's abusive behavior. Robinson is seeking $12 million in damages for emotional distress and damage to her reputation, alleging that De Niro's actions have left her unemployed and struggling to recover from psychological trauma.
However, the story does not end here. De Niro, for his part, has filed a countersuit demanding reimbursement of three years of Robinson's salary, accusing her of embezzlement, including misuse of airline points and allegations of lost work time on personal activities such as watching Netflix.
