Robert De Niro is claiming that his former assistant threatened to write a memoir detailing ‘personal information’ about him if he did not meet ‘certain requirements,’ in court papers responding to her $12 million lawsuit against him.
Graham Chase Robinson is seeking $12 million in damages from The Irishman star alleging harassment and gender discrimination – allegations DeNiro denies in the court papers filed on Tuesday, saying the allegations were only made after she was accused of misconduct by the actor
Robinson became De Niro’s personal assistant at Canal Productions in 2008, and rose up the ranks to eventually become vice president of production and finance.
But Robinson alleges in her lawsuit that working with De Niro became so bad that she had no choice but to quit the company earlier in the year.
She claims he was ‘verbally abusive,’ made ‘sexually charged comments,’ and subjected her to ‘unwanted physical contact.’
The actor called the lawsuit ‘completely absurd’.
But in a leaked 2012 voicemail De Niro can be heard shouting at Robinson, calling her a ‘spoiled brat,’ saying ‘how dare you f***ing disrespect me,’ and threatening her, saying ‘you’re f***ing history’.
Graham Chase Robinson (left) – who is seeking $12 million in damages from Robert De Niro (right) alleging harassment and gender discrimination. DeNiro denied the allegations in the court papers filed on Tuesday
She claims such behavior wasn’t unusual for the iconic actor, who is alleged to have abused his employee on multiple occasions.
‘It was a routine occurrence for Mr. De Niro, when intoxicated, to call Ms. Robinson — to call her names, to berate her, to curse at her,’ her lawyer Alexandra Harwin told Fox Business.
Harwin also alleged that Robinson ‘was asked to do things that her male colleagues were never asked to do, like scratch Mr. De Niro’s back, button his buttons, tie his ties.’
The lawsuit also states that she was directed to wake him when he was in bed and imagine him on the toilet.
‘The whole work environment was unacceptable, she added.
De Niro’s reps told Fox News that ‘the allegations made by Robinson are beyond absurd’.
In one voicemail De Niro can be heard shouting at Robinson, calling her a ‘spoiled brat,’ saying ‘how dare you f***ing disrespect me,’ and threatening her, saying ‘you’re f***ing history’
‘What was going on was abusive and demeaning,’ lawyer Alexandra Harwin stated, referring to Robinson’s work environment at Canal Productions
De Niro himself has already launched legal action against Robinson for allegedly spending four full days ordering delivery and watching 55 episodes of Friends while she was employed at Canal Productions.
He claims that Robinson also raided company coffers and even stole his flyer miles while also binge-watching ‘astounding hours’ of Netflix.
De Niro’s production company announced they were suing former executive Robinson for $3 million, according to the suit filed in the Manhattan Supreme Court in August.
Robinson abruptly quit working at Canal Productions on April 6 when ‘suspicions arose’ about her ‘honesty, integrity, work ethic and motivation,’ Page Six had reported after seeing the papers.
Robinson has launched a counter lawsuit against the actor, who first filed legal papers against his former employee in August
But Robinson’s complaint argues: ‘De Niro was enraged at the prospect of Ms. Robinson bringing a lawsuit challenging his behavior. So, he retaliated and struck first.’
Her suit states: ‘Robert De Niro is someone who has clung to old mores. He does not accept the idea that men should treat women as equals.
‘He does not care that gender discrimination in the workplace violates the law. Ms. Robinson is a casualty of this attitude.’
De Niro’s production company said a review of the books after she left found Robinson allegedly used the company’s American Express card to spend tens of thousands of dollars on lavish trips, floral arrangements, iPhones, Uber rides, a Louis Vuitton handbag, dogsitters and pricey dinners.
She also allegedly used three million of De Niro’s frequent flyer miles for personal trips and vacations while transferring five million to her personal account — estimated to be valued at $125,000 in total.
Because of her senior role within the company, Robinson was able to approve her own expenses, including an alleged bogus three-day LA business trip in March 2018 that allegedly turned out to be for a friend’s birthday — racking up a $5,000 bill, according to De Niro’s suit.