‘Bullying’ De Niro is sued for £10million
De Niro sued for £10m by former employee over ‘years of abuse’
ROBERT De Niro is being sued for £10million by an exemployee over claims he subjected her to years of ‘discrimination and harassment’.
Graham Chase Robinson, 37, says the actor unleashed abusive ‘tirades’ and made ‘unwanted physical contact’ during the decade she worked for him.
An expletive-laden voicemail recording was released as part of the case in which the actor, 76, allegedly calls her a ‘spoiled brat’ and rages at her: ‘How dare you disrespect me?’
Miss Robinson, pictured inset, also claims the Raging Bull star urinated during telephone calls to her and he joked about his Viagra prescription.
He allegedly made ‘sexually-charged comments’ to her, said she should use a married co-worker’s sperm to get pregnant, and called her a ‘b **** ’ and a ‘brat’, it is claimed.
The allegations against De Niro were made in the lawsuit filed at Manhattan’s federal court. It includes seven counts of violation of labour laws, the equal pay act and gender discrimination.
Miss Robinson started working for De Niro in 2008 as an executive assistant at his company Canal Productions.
She alleges that he treated her as his ‘office wife’ and that the star made her do ‘stereotypically female duties, like housework’ while underpaying and refusing to pay overtime.
De Niro and Canal Productions sued Miss Robinson for £5.3million in August and accused her of stealing money and quitting abruptly. But she claims that lawsuit was brought in retaliation for her threatening to sue De Niro. The lawsuit states: ‘De Niro was enraged at the prospect of Ms Robinson bringing a lawsuit challenging his
behaviour.’