A popular American jury ruled on Thursday that Robert De Niro’s production company was responsible for sexual discrimination against a former colleague and awarded him $1.3 million in damages.
Former employee Graham Chase Robinson accused the “Taxi Driver” star of ordering her to perform “stereotypically feminine” tasks even after she was promoted to management positions at his company Canal Productions: washing sheets, vacuuming the apartment, even throwing parties organize.
She also accused him of unwanted physical contact and sexual comments.
The jury also found that Mr. De Niro’s company attempted to retaliate against its employee. She claimed Mr De Niro refused to write her letters of recommendation or pay her severance pay.
The jury rejected Canal Productions’ original complaint against Ms. Chase Robinson.
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Graham Chase Robinson, the former associate of American actor Robert De Niro, leaves the federal courthouse in New York City on October 30, 2023.
The company accused him of charging hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal expenses to a company credit card, using millions of Mr. De Niro’s miles for air travel and binge-watching “TV shows on Netflix” during work hours.
“We are pleased that the jury […] has entered a judgment in favor of Ms. Chase Robinson,” her lawyer David Sanford responded in a press release to AFP.
“Not only did Ms. Robinson win her case against Canal, but the jury fully agreed with Ms. Robinson in stating that Robert De Niro’s complaints against her were unfounded,” he also enthused.
Mr De Niro, who was not present at the sentencing, was not held personally responsible.
At the beginning of the two-week trial, he considered his ex-assistant’s allegations to be “nonsense.”