Robert De Niro’s company was ordered to pay his former assistant $1.2 million by a Manhattan jury that found the firm liable for gender discrimination and retaliation on Thursday – ending a sensational legal battle in which the actor was accused of being an abusive boss who caused his subordinates to behave sexist.
A jury in Manhattan federal court made its decision following about five hours of deliberations Thursday and a two-week trial that saw the 80-year-old Oscar winner give powerful testimony as she tried to refute Graham Chase Robinson’s claim that she was a boss from hell.
Although De Niro himself was not found personally liable, the jury said his company, Canal Productions, should pay Robinson, 41, his former right-hand woman, $632,142 in damages for each claim.
“They were right about Mr. De Niro, that’s for sure,” De Niro’s lawyer, Richard Schoenstein, said after the verdict was read.
The “Killers of the Flower Moon” star was not in court, but took the stand late last month, snapping, “This is all nonsense!”
Robert De Niro is suing his former assistant for $12 million, claiming she stole frequent flyer miles from him and abused spending privileges.Gabrielle Bass
Robinson, who also testified – telling jurors De Niro relegated her to stereotypically feminine tasks like cleaning her sheets – hugged her lawyer when she heard the verdict, and was later pictured leaving court with a big smile on her face.
The long-running legal battle began when Canal sued Robinson in August 2019, accusing the once-trusted employee of stealing millions in Delta SkyMiles, spending thousands on Uber and dining out and being a “Friends”-watching public. while watching. he should be working.
Graham Chase Robinson accused De Niro of subjecting her to creepy behavior and treating her as an “office wife.” Gregory P. Mango
Robinson, who worked for De Niro for 11 years until April 2019, responded with her own $12 million lawsuit, alleging De Niro never gave her time off, gave her work under his title, paid her less because she was a woman and subjected her to creepy behavior like scratching his back or talking to him on the phone while he’s peeing.
“I’m the VP of Production and Finance and I ordered the vacuum cleaner,” Robinson quipped during his own testimony at the Nov. 7 hearing.
Robinson also claimed he was relentlessly bullied by De Niro’s girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, whom he called a “sociopath” who conspired to fire him and tarnish his reputation.
De Niro’s production company, Canal Productions, was found liable for gender discrimination and retaliation and ordered to pay his former assistant $1.2 million in damages Thursday.Steven Hirsch Jurors in Manhattan federal court made the decision following about five hours of deliberations.Steven Hirsch
He was acquitted of all claims against him – including allegations that he stole frequent flyer miles from Canal and breached company loyalty and fiduciary duty.
“The jury saw what Ms. Robinson saw and absolutely proved it,” said her attorney, Brent Hannafan.
“We are very excited about the results. Ms. Robinson was thrilled with the results. He felt right,” he added.
De Niro admitted on the stand that he called Robinson a “f–king spoiled brat” once when he failed to wake her up for an important appointment, but insisted he was never abusive.
She also admitted asking him to scratch her back once or twice, but angrily called it “nonsense” that there was anything sexual about it.
“OK, twice? You got me! I say this is nonsense,” he snarled during his testimony. “It was never done with any disrespect.”
Robinson also claims he was bullied relentlessly by De Niro’s girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, whom he described as a “sociopath” who conspired to fire him and tarnish his reputation. De Niro’s Steven Hirsch was outraged by the frequent long hauls he said Robinson stole worth about $60,000 and testified that he was given the use of his rock, but he expected him to follow the “honor system.”
De Niro was furious over the mileage he often said Robinson stole – which was worth about $60,000.
He testified that he was given the use of his stone, but that he expected him to follow the “honor system” and take amounts within reason.
Instead, De Niro’s lawyer says he stole his rocks and transferred millions into his name when he felt his job was in jeopardy.
“He’s never moved a million miles at once. And then all of a sudden in early 2019, with all these things going on… all of a sudden he swiped 5 million miles into his account,” Schoenstein told jurors during his Nov. 8 closing arguments.
Canal may file court papers aimed at reducing the damages awarded to Robinson, Schoenstein said, telling reporters “It strikes me as a compromise.”
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
