A jury has awarded more than US$1.2 million ($2.04 million) to Robert De Niro’s former personal assistant, finding a company he formed to look after his personal needs was liable for gender discrimination and retaliation after the former assistant accused the actor of subjecting her
Robert De Niro’s production company loses sexism lawsuit, ordered to pay $2 million to ex-assistant
By Larry Neumeister
AP·
4 mins to read
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A jury found De Niro's production company liable of gender discrimination. Photo / Getty Images
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De Niro and Chen each told the court Robinson became the problem when her aspirations to move beyond Canal Productions led her to make escalating demands to remain on the job.
In two days of evidence, De Niro told jurors he boosted Robinson’s salary from less than US$100,000 annually to US$300,000, and elevated her title to vice president of production and finance at her request, even though her responsibilities remained largely the same.
When she quit, De Niro said, Robinson stole about US$85,000 in airline miles from him, betrayed his trust and violated his unwritten rules to use common sense and always do the right thing.
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At times, De Niro acknowledged in court many of the claims Robinson made to support her US$12 million gender discrimination and retaliation lawsuit, including that he may have told her that his personal trainer was paid more than her in part because he had a family to support.
He agreed he had asked her to scratch his back on at least two occasions, dismissing a question about it with: “Ok, twice? You got me!”
He admitted that he had berated her, though he disputed ever aiming a profanity her way, saying: “I was never abusive, ever.”
De Niro also denied ever yelling at her, saying every little thing she was trying to catch him with was nonsense and that, at most, he had raised his voice in her presence but never with disrespect. Then, he looked at her sitting between her lawyers in the well of the courtroom and shouted: “Shame on you, Chase Robinson!”
De Niro said Robinson was wrong to take 5 million airline miles from his company’s accounts, but he acknowledged that he had told her she could take 2 million miles and that there were no strict rules.
Robinson testified she quit her job during an “emotional and mental breakdown” that left her overwhelmed and feeling like she’d “hit rock bottom.”
She said she had suffered from anxiety and depression since quitting and had not worked in four years despite applying for 638 jobs.
“I don’t have a social life,” she said. “I’m so humiliated and embarrassed and feel so judged. I feel so damaged in a way. I lost my life. Lost my career. Lost my financial independence. I lost everything.”
De Niro’s lawyers sued Robinson for breach of loyalty and fiduciary duty even before her lawsuit was filed against him in 2019. They sought US$6 million in damages, including a return of the 5 million airline miles. The jury flatly rejected the claims.
In closing arguments on Thursday, Schoenstein said the miles that were taken were worth about US$85,000. He said jurors could order Robinson to return some of her salary, but, he added: “We’re not looking for you to punish her.”
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In his closing, Robinson’s attorney Brent Hannafan called the two weeks of court proceedings a civil rights trial and urged jurors to return a verdict “not just for Ms. Robinson, but for all civil rights litigants”.
De Niro has won two Oscars over the past five decades in films such as Raging Bull and The Deer Hunter. He’s in the Martin Scorsese film Killers of the Flower Moon, in theatres now.
