Robert De Niro's company found liable in gender discrimination case, to pay $1.3 million to former employee

Robert De Niro's production company has been found liable for gender discrimination and retaliation against a former employee who had stated that she had been forced to perform 'stereotypical female' jobs for the senior actor.

While De Niro has not been charged personally, his company Canal Productions was ordered by the jury to pay $1.3 million to Graham Chase Robinson. Robinson has said during her tenure at the production company De Niro had ordered her to wash sheets, vacuum his apartment, and organise soirees even after she was promoted to senior roles at the company. She also accused him of unwanted physical contact and making sexually charged comments.

The damages awarded also covered Robinson's successful claim of retaliation. She claimed De Niro refused to write her recommendation letters or pay her severance.

The trial, in which both De Niro and Robinson faced accusations, was heated at times, with the actor apologising to the judge for one outburst during his testimony.

The damages awarded also covered Robinson's successful claim of retaliation. She claimed De Niro refused to write her recommendation letters or pay her severance.

The jury dismissed the original lawsuit filed by Canal Productions against Chase Robinson.

De Niro's company had accused her of charging hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal expenses to a company credit card, claiming millions of air miles for personal use, and binge-watching "astounding hours of TV shows on Netflix" on company time.

"We are delighted that the jury saw what we saw and returned a verdict in Chase Robinson's favor against Robert De Niro's company, Canal Productions," her lawyer David Sanford wrote in a statement to the media.

"Not only did Ms. Robinson win her case against Canal but the jury completely vindicated Ms Robinson by finding De Niro's claims against her to be without merit."

De Nirodid not attend Thursday's hearing. Earlier in the two-week trial, he had testified that Chase Robinson's claims were "nonsense."

The jury deliberated for around five hours before returning their verdicts.

(With agency inputs)