Robert De Niro is testifying once again in Graham Chase Robinson’s gender discrimination case against him. In New York City on Tuesday, the 80-year-old actor took the stand for the second day in a row, saying of his former assistant’s lawsuit, “This whole case is nonsense!”
In August 2019, the Killers of the Flower Moon star sued Robinson, 41, for breach of duty and conversion accusing her of, among other things, binge-watching Friends on the job and taking millions of frequent-flyer miles from him.
In response, Robinson filed a countersuit two months later in which she claimed her former employer subjected her to gender discrimination, retaliation and toxic workplace conditions.
Robinson’s lawyers, Brent Hannafan and Andrew Macurdy, questioned the actor about whether or not his girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, gave him an ultimatum to fire Robinson.
“No one tells me what to do in my office,” De Niro answered. “Period.”
As for Robinson’s claim that De Niro threatened to withhold a letter of recommendation should she leave her job, he said, “I didn’t do that. I don’t do that. I wouldn’t dare do that.”
Robinson also claims that De Niro once called her while he was using the restroom. “Are you kidding?” De Niro asked Robinson’s lawyers when questioned about the allegation.
As for whether or not De Niro called Robinson “spoiled,” “a brat,” or a “b**ch” as his former assistant claims, De Niro said it was possible he had done so in the heat of the moment, but maintained that he was “never abusive.”
Robinson additionally alleges that De Niro asked her to scratch his back. In response, the actor said he “was never weird or creepy.”
When it comes to the frequent flyer miles that De Niro alleges Robinson took, the actor said that there was an “honor system” in the office that allowed her to take what she needed, and claimed that he did not know she had taken so many.
At one point during his testimony, De Niro looked at Robinson, who worked from him between 2008 and 2019, and said, “Shame on you, Chase Robinson.”
During his previous testimony, De Niro and his lawyer, Richard Schoenstein, denied that the actor put unreasonable expectations on his assistant, and said that he wanted to be kept in the loop on her schedule.
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