Robert De Niro faces gender discrimination and retaliation charges in high-stakes trial

Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro is facing serious allegations of gender discrimination and retaliation. The trial, which began recently in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, centers on claims brought by Graham Chase Robinson, a former executive at De Niro's loan-out company, Canal Productions. Robinson alleges that she was subjected to inappropriate and gendered comments, underpaid based on her gender, and overworked, creating a hostile work environment. This article delves into the details of the case and the ongoing trial.

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The allegations

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Graham Chase Robinson's lawsuit against Robert De Niro and Canal Productions is based on a series of disturbing allegations. Robinson, who previously held the position of VP of Production and Finance at Canal, claims that De Niro made vulgar and inappropriate comments to her, underpaid her due to her gender, and overworked her. Additionally, she alleges that she was asked to perform gendered tasks, such as mending clothing and doing laundry, despite her executive role within the company.

Robinson's retaliation claim is based on her interactions with De Niro's girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, whom she accuses of pushing her out of her job due to jealousy over her relationship with De Niro and her role in their lives.

The legal battle began when Robinson filed her lawsuit in July 2021, seeking at least $12 million in damages. Notably, this came after Canal Productions previously filed a $6 million lawsuit against Robinson in 2019, alleging that she had misused company credit cards and watched television during working hours. Robinson's legal team argues that the 2019 lawsuit was retaliatory in nature, as it was filed after Robinson had resigned from her position and her counsel informed De Niro that she was considering bringing a gender discrimination suit against him.

Key testimony

During his testimony, De Niro pushed back against the claims that he had asked Robinson to do "anything and everything" as part of her job, insisting that he was "careful" about his requests.

De Niro did admit to calling Robinson at 4:30 a.m. once, citing a back injury, but he said that this was a one-time occurrence. He also supported his counsel's opening statements by stating that Robinson's title change from assistant to VP of Finance and Production was at her request and didn't change her responsibilities. De Niro downplayed the importance of job titles, saying, "The job is what it is; the titles were not important."

The trial has seen heated moments, with both parties raising their voices at one point, prompting Judge Lewis J. Liman to intervene and remind De Niro to answer the questions.

De Niro's defence maintains that the case revolves around a breach of trust between De Niro and Robinson. They argue that Robinson charged an "extraordinary" amount of personal expenses to the company and transferred five million Delta SkyMiles to her account before planning to leave the company.

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