Oscar-winning veteran actor Robert De Niro was sued for $12 million in 2019 by his former assistant Graham Chase Robinson. The actor's former assistant said he had been subjected to "sex discrimination and harassment" for years.
Robinson claimed that the actor swore at her, forcibly made physical contact with her and subjected her to sexually explicit comments, and that De Niro refused to be a reference for her.
The 80-year-old actor, who is currently in the spotlight with the movie Full Moon Killers, appeared in court in New York yesterday.
According to The Guardian, the actor said Robinson was one of his emergency contacts and sometimes helped him send cards to his children on special occasions.
"A VERY DEMANDING BOSS"
Robinson's lawyers told the jury that De Niro was a "very demanding boss".
The actor's girlfriend Tiffany Chen was said to be "jealous" of Robinson and De Niro, but the lawyers said, "Chase Robinson had no romantic interest in Mr. De Niro."
De Niro, on the other hand, said in the face of these allegations, "I never believed it, but now that I look back, he may have been right."
"THIS IS ALL NONSENSE"
Robinson's lawyer asked the actor if his former assistant was an "honest employee". De Niro replied, "Not after what I'm going through right now."
Testifying, the actor raised his voice twice.
The actor said he treated his former assistant Robinson well, even though he was sloppy in preparing the Manhattan apartment where he would live with his girlfriend Tiffany Chen. "Of course I didn't tell her to clean the floors. This is all nonsense!" he said.
