A NY Jury has ruled that Robert De Niro’s film company has to give his former assistant $1.2 million.
The jury awarded the money to Graham Chase Robinson for verbal abuse and demeaning in general. It’s De Niro’s film company, Canal Productions, and not the actor who is liable. Their insurance company will probably be on the hook for the money.
De Niro actually sued Robinson first, accusing her of racking up thousands of dollars worth of personal expenses on the company card, booking flights using company miles and watching hours upon hours of Netflix while on the clock.
Robinson, by the time she left, was making $300,000.
She sued De Niro for $12 million gender discrimination and retaliation. She claimed that he urinated during phone calls with her, would make her scratch his back, and called her names like “bitch” among other allegations. De Niro has denied everything but eventually conceded he might have called her the name.
How things have changed! Many many years ago I worked for a man who called his junior publicist names and threw snow boots at her. Later I worked for a woman who sat without underwear under a glass desk just to throw off employees and guests. A woman I worked for at Random House smoked pot and slept on her couch. Another woman at Random House used a clairvoyant as an advisor. In the old days, you just quit and found another job. Now you can sue for all these things!
De Niro came off badly in the trial, but in the end it does nothing to his legacy. He’s a great actor, with Oscars and nominations, who everyone wants to work with. Graham Chase Robinson will give a third of the payout to her lawyer and pay 50% to the government. There will be enough left for lunch at Michael’s!
