Ex-assistant sues Robert De Niro for $12 million over claims of discrimination and verbal harassment
A former assistant is suing actor Robert De Niro, claiming the Oscar winner made sexually explicit comments and was verbally abusive, CBS New York reports. She said she has the profanity-laced phone calls to prove it.
"You're living in Spain and you're [expletive] upset with me. You tell me how nice you have it and your life over there and you [expletive] don't answer my calls. How dare you. You're about to be fired. You're [expletive] history," according to a voicemail.
The call was allegedly made to De Niro's then-assistant Graham Chase Robinson. She worked for the actor-director-producer from 2008 until April 2019, starting when she was 25 years old.
Robinson has filed a complaint against the two-time Oscar winner, claiming that "she could no longer endure the hostile work environment, and through her counsel she warned De Niro and Canal Productions that she was considering bringing a discrimination lawsuit."
She is suing for $12 million, alleging De Niro "does not care that gender discrimination in the workplace violates the law."
"[Expletive] this. How dare you [expletive] disrespect me how much you did," the voicemail says.
De Niro, who has two major films about to be released, "The Irishman" and "Joker," is claimed to have subjected Robinson to sexually-charged comments, and unwanted physical contact. She also accused him of wage discrimination.
On Thursday, CBS New York spoke with Alexandra Harwin, the attorney for Robinson.
"She attempted to endure the work environment as long as possible, but she did attempt to quit multiple times. And Mr. De Niro responded by promising things would get better and threatening her if she left," Harwin told CBS N.Y.
The 19-page lawsuit also states that De Niro made jokes about his Viagra prescription and asked her to do supposedly stereotypical female duties, such as cleaning his apartment and mending his clothes.
CBS N.Y. did receive a statement from De Niro's attorney that said "the allegations made by Graham Chase Robinson against Robert De Niro are beyond absurd."