Robert De Niro
Court awards ex-assistant millions
Robert De Niro makes a red carpet appearance.
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Verdict: Robert De Niro’s production company must pay over a million dollars to the actor’s ex-assistant.
The production company of Hollywood star Robert De Niro (80) has to pay over 1.2 million dollars (around 1.1 million euros) to the actor’s former assistant – among other things because of gender discrimination. According to the New York Post, this was decided by a jury in Manhattan. De Niro was personally found not guilty by the New York court after a two-week trial.
Plaintiff wanted twelve million dollars
Graham Chase Robinson (41) worked for Robert De Niro between 2008 and 2019. She claimed in the lawsuit that he subjected her to inappropriate behavior. She had demanded $12 million in damages for emotional distress and damage to her reputation.
Robinson herself was completely exonerated and found not guilty of any of the charges against her. She was accused by her former employer of, among other things, withdrawing accumulated frequent flyer miles from the company card.
Small victory for Robert De Niro?
In front of the courtroom a lawyer for De Niro said, according to the New York Times., he was pleased that the jury did not find the actor guilty himself. He further explained that he was not yet sure whether the production company would appeal the ruling. De Niro was not in the courtroom for the sentencing.
The actor’s former assistant claimed in her lawsuit that she was subjected to discrimination and harassment because of her gender. He subjected her to unwanted physical contact and, among other things, asked her to scratch his back. De Niro also made “sexually charged comments” and assigned her “stereotypically feminine tasks such as housework.” She was also not paid sufficiently and there was no compensation for countless overtime hours.