Robert De Niro's production company, Canal Productions, has been ordered by a federal jury to pay over $1.2 million to his former personal assistant, Graham Chase Robinson, after finding the company engaged in gender discrimination and retaliation. Although De Niro himself was not found personally liable for the abuse, the jury ordered his production company to make two payments of $632,142 to Robinson. The trial, which lasted for two weeks, saw De Niro spend three days in court, including two on the witness stand.
During the trial, Robinson testified that De Niro and his girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, teamed up against her, turning her once-loved job into a nightmare. De Niro and Chen, on the other hand, testified that Robinson became problematic when she began making escalating demands to remain on the job after expressing aspirations to move beyond Canal Productions. De Niro stated that he had elevated Robinson's salary and title at her request, even though her responsibilities remained largely the same. He admitted to asking her to scratch his back on a few occasions but denied ever being abusive or yelling at her. However, he did berate her and accused her of stealing airline miles from him.
Robinson, who quit her job in April 2019, testified that she suffered from an emotional and mental breakdown, leading to anxiety and depression. She claimed that she hasn't been able to find work since then, despite applying for 638 jobs, and has lost her social life, career, and financial independence.
De Niro's lawyers had also sued Robinson for breach of loyalty and fiduciary duty, seeking $6 million in damages, including a return of the 5 million airline miles. In his closing argument, De Niro's attorney asked the jury to order Robinson to return some of her salary but stated that they were not looking for punishment. Robinson's attorney, Brent Hannafan, called the trial a civil rights trial and urged the jurors to return a verdict not just for Robinson but for all civil rights litigants.
This legal battle has put Robert De Niro's business practices and personal life on public display. The actor, who has won two Oscars, denied any wrongdoing but admitted to using profanity and asking Robinson to scratch his back. He described Robinson's claims as “nonsense” and dismissed them as attempts to catch him on trivial matters. The trial also revealed a deteriorating relationship between Robinson and De Niro's girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, which played a significant role in Robinson's decision to quit.
In the end, the jury found Canal Productions liable for gender discrimination against Robinson and awarded her $1.3 million in damages. They did not find Robinson liable for De Niro's claims against her. De Niro's lawyer expressed satisfaction that the jury did not find De Niro personally at fault and stated that he was unsure whether Canal Productions would appeal the ruling. Robinson's lawyer, however, viewed the verdict as a complete vindication for his client.
